JP6660673B2 - Vehicle steering device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering device for a vehicle.

  As a door control device that detects that a user has put a hand on a steering wheel and controls locking and unlocking of a door, a door control device described in Patent Literature 1 is known. In this conventional example, an electrostatic capacitance detection type human detection sensor and a light emitting unit for notifying the user of the position of the grip unit are incorporated in the grip unit of the handle.

  When the control unit of the vehicle authenticates the portable device owned by the user, the light emitting unit emits light to irradiate the grip of the steering wheel, and then unlocks when a detection signal is output from the human detection sensor. Will be

JP 2006-9352 A

  However, in the above-described conventional example, in order to increase the detection accuracy of the capacitance detection type sensor that detects a change in capacitance due to contact or approach, a detection electrode having a large area is required. There is a problem that the conversion becomes difficult.

  In addition, if the processing for the detection signal output from the human detection sensor ends and the timing for shifting the door lock to the unlocked state is later than the timing when the user grips the steering wheel and applies the opening operation force, the door is smoothly moved. There is a problem that the usability is poor because a simple opening operation may not be performed.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described drawbacks, and has as its object to provide a door handle device for a vehicle that can be downsized and that is easy to use.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle door control device which is easy to use.

According to the invention, the object is
A handle device for a vehicle, comprising a grip portion 2 fixed to a door 1 of the vehicle and providing a handle when the door 1 is opened,
An infrared sensor 4 for irradiating the operation space 3 between the grip portion 2 and the surface of the door 1 with light and detecting insertion of a hand into the operation space 3;
A visible light emitting element 5 for illuminating the detection area of the infrared sensor 4;
A steering device for a vehicle is provided which irradiates emitted light from the visible light emitting element 5 and the infrared sensor 4 toward the center of the surface of a concave portion 9 formed on the surface of the door 1 corresponding to the grip portion 2 from obliquely above. It is achieved by doing.
Also, the handle device is
A handle device for a vehicle, comprising a grip portion 2 fixed to a door 1 of the vehicle and providing a handle when the door 1 is opened,
An infrared sensor 4 that irradiates the operation space 3 between the grip portion 2 and the surface of the door 1 with light and detects insertion of a hand into the operation space 3;
A visible light emitting element 5 for illuminating the detection area of the infrared sensor 4;
A detection unit 7 in which the visible light emitting element 5 and the infrared sensor 4 are arranged in proximity to each other and housed in a unit case 6;
The detection unit 7 is arranged at a rising portion 8 of the grip portion 2 from the surface of the door 1,
The light emitted from the visible light emitting element 5 and the infrared light sensor 4 may be radiated obliquely from above toward the center of the surface of the concave portion 9 formed on the surface of the door 1 corresponding to the grip portion 2. it can.
In addition, the handle device
A handle device for a vehicle, comprising a grip portion 2 fixed to a door 1 of the vehicle and providing a handle when the door 1 is opened,
An infrared sensor 4 that irradiates the operation space 3 between the grip portion 2 and the surface of the door 1 with light and detects insertion of a hand into the operation space 3;
A visible light emitting element 5 for illuminating the detection area of the infrared sensor 4;
A detection unit 7 in which the visible light emitting element 5 and the infrared sensor 4 are arranged in proximity to each other and housed in a unit case 6;
The detection unit 7 is arranged at a rising portion 8 of the grip portion 2 from the surface of the door 1,
The light emitted from the visible light emitting element 5 and the infrared light sensor 4 may be radiated obliquely from above toward the center of the surface of the concave portion 9 formed on the surface of the door 1 corresponding to the grip portion 2. it can.

  The handle device includes a grip portion 2 for providing a handle or the like at the time of an opening / closing operation on the door 1 and a detecting means for detecting a user operation on the grip portion 2.

  As the detection means, an infrared sensor 4 having an operation space 3 between the grip portion 2 and the surface of the door 1 as a detection area is used, and the detection area is illuminated by a visible light emitting element 5 incorporated in the handle device.

  In the present invention in which the detection region of the infrared sensor 4 is illuminated by the visible light emitting element 5, the opening and closing operation of the door 1 becomes easy even at night.

  Further, in the present invention using the infrared sensor 4 as the detecting means, the infrared sensor 4 has a smaller volume as compared with a capacitance sensor or the like which requires an appropriate area, and also has the same structure as the visible light emitting element 5. Since the device can be easily mounted on a mounting substrate, the size of the device can be reduced.

  Further, in the contact or proximity detection means as in the conventional example, the contact or proximity to the grip portion 2 is a condition for detection, whereas the detection area of the infrared sensor 4 is wider than these, so that User detection can be performed at an early stage. By making the detection timing earlier, a time margin before the unlocking operation occurs, so that a smooth door opening operation can be performed.

  In the present invention in which the visible light emitting element 5 and the infrared sensor 4 are unitized, the assembling workability is improved, and the visible light emitting element 5 and the infrared sensor 4 are mounted close to the same mounting substrate. As a result, the optical axis of the visible light emitting element 5 and the optical axis of the light receiving / emitting element of the infrared sensor 4 are close to each other, and the visible light emitting element is located in the detection region of the infrared sensor 4 without adjusting the optical axis using a lens or the like. 5 can be matched.

  The grip portion 2 of the handle device is provided with an appropriate rising portion 8 connected to the panel contact portion at both ends to secure a space for inserting a hand between the grip portion 2 and the panel surface. In order to secure a space for insertion of the hand without increasing the height of the part 2, a recess 9 is formed corresponding to the grip of the handle device.

  By arranging the detection unit 7 so that the visible light of the detection unit 7 and the emission light of the infrared sensor 4 irradiate the center of the concave portion 9 at the boundary between the grip portion 2 and the panel contact portion, the detection region is formed. In addition to being able to spread over the entire area, the opportunity for the user to touch the hand when operating the grip unit 2 is reduced, so that it is possible to effectively prevent clouding or the like of the light emitting window for visible light or the like. .

Further, as another embodiment of the present invention to achieve the above object,
An infrared sensor 4 that irradiates a light emission light to an unlocking operation detection area set on the vehicle to detect a hand entry into the unlocking operation detection area ;
A visible light emitting element 5 that illuminates an illumination area that matches the detectable area of the infrared sensor 4,
The control unit 11 drives the infrared sensor 4 and the visible light emitting element 5 on condition that the authentication of the portable device 10 possessed by the user is completed, and unlocks the door 1 by receiving a detection signal from the infrared sensor 4 thereafter. When,
The door control device for a vehicle having:

  In the present invention, by setting the activation of the infrared sensor 4 and the visible light emitting element 5 on the condition that the authentication of the portable device 10 is established, the standby power can be reduced. By setting the detection conditions by the infrared sensor 4, the chance of erroneous detection due to the expansion of the detection area can be reduced, and the reliability can be improved.

Further, as another embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object,
Inserting Operation hand space 3 is irradiated with emitted light to said operating space 3 between the grip portion 2 and the door 1 surface of the handle device is fixed to the door 1 of the vehicle to provide a worked during door 1 opened An infrared sensor 4 for detecting
A visible light emitting element 5 that illuminates an illumination area that matches the detectable area of the infrared sensor 4,
The control unit 11 drives the infrared sensor 4 and the visible light emitting element 5 on condition that the authentication of the portable device 10 possessed by the user is completed, and unlocks the door 1 by receiving a detection signal from the infrared sensor 4 thereafter. When,
The door control device for a vehicle having:

  The detectable area of the infrared sensor 4 can be set at an appropriate position on the vehicle body. However, as in the present invention, the area near the grip portion 2 of the handle device on which the user puts his hand when opening the door 1 is operated. When set, the door 1 locking device can be unlatched and the door 1 opened operation can be performed as a series of operations.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, since the volume of both a detection part and an illumination part is small and it is easy to unitize, an apparatus can be miniaturized.

  In addition, since the user can be detected at an early timing, a sufficient time before the lock is released is secured, so that the usability can be improved.

It is a front view showing the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2A-2A in FIG. It is an exploded perspective view of a handle device. It is sectional drawing of a detection unit. It is a perspective view showing the inside of a detection unit. It is a perspective view of a detection unit. It is a block diagram of a door control device. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of a door control apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and subsequent figures, the handle device is formed of a handle base 12 and a movable handle 13 connected to the handle base 12, and is fixed to the door 1 with the left side in FIG. Hereinafter, in this specification, "up and down" and "front and rear" directions will be referred to based on the mounting posture of the vehicle, and the downward direction in FIG. 2 will be referred to as "front side" and the opposite side will be referred to as "back side".

  As shown in FIG. 3, the movable handle 13 is formed by closing an opening facing the back surface of the handle body 14 with a back cover 15. The handle main body 14 is formed with a hinge projection 14a extending forward from the front end and an operating leg extending rearward from the rear end.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a recess 9 is formed in the door panel (door 1) to secure a hand insertion space (operation space 3) between the door 1 and the surface of the door 1 when the door 1 is opened. At the same time, the movable handle 13 is provided with a grip portion 2 corresponding to the concave portion 9. Further, the handle base 12 is provided with a concave portion 12 a for receiving the concave portion 9 of the door panel 1.

  The handle device is attached to the door 1 by connecting a movable handle 13 from the outside of the door 1 to a handle base 12 fixed to the back surface of the door panel 1 in advance. In the connected state, the movable handle 13 is connected to the rotating shaft (C13). It is rotated around.

  The lever 16 is rotatably connected to the handle base 12 around the rotation axis (C16) by locking the driven rod portion 16a to the operating protrusion 13a of the movable handle 13. When the movable handle 13 is rotated, In FIG. 2, the lever 16 is driven to rotate. By the rotation of the lever 16, an operating force is applied to the door lock device 18 in the door 1 via the cable device 17 connected to the lever 16.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lock state of the door lock device 18 is controlled by a door control device 19 described later. When the movable handle 13 is operated in the unlocked state, the door lock device 18 holds the door closed state. The latch of the door lock device 18 is released, and the door 1 can be opened by further pulling the movable handle 13.

  As shown in FIG. 4 and subsequent figures, the light detection unit 7 is formed by incorporating a mounting substrate 20 on which a visible light emitting diode (visible light emitting element 5) and an infrared sensor 4 are mounted in a unit case 6. The unit case 6 is formed by connecting a base 6 a holding the mounting board 20, the visible light emitting diode 5, and the transparent cover 6 b serving as a light emitting and receiving window of the infrared sensor 4, and is fixed to the back cover 15 of the movable handle 13. You. The visible light emitting diode 5 and the infrared sensor 4 are arranged close to each other so that the light receiving / emitting region of the infrared sensor 4 and the optical axis of the visible light emitting diode 5 are substantially aligned.

  The surface of the transparent cover 6b forms a surface facing the panel of the grip portion 2 in a state of being fixed to the back cover 15, and the base 6a and the like are disposed in a space sandwiched between the handle body 14 and the back cover 15. You. The harness 7a is connected to the mounting board 20, and is pulled out of the handle device through the space.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the light detection unit 7 is disposed at a rising portion 8 in front of the grip portion 2 from the surface of the door panel 1. In a fixed state, the optical axes of the visible light emitting diode 5 and the infrared sensor 4 are aligned. The panel is fixed in an attitude toward the vicinity of the center of the surface of the recess 9 of the panel.

  Therefore, in FIG. 2, the detection area of the infrared sensor 4 at an angle of (θi) and the illumination area of the visible light emitting diode 5 at an angle of (θv) are within the operation space 3 between the surface of the recess 9 and the grip 2. When they almost coincide with each other and when the hand is inserted into the illumination area by the visible light emitting diode 5, detection by the infrared sensor 4 as a motion sensor is performed.

  FIG. 7 shows a vehicle door control device 19 using the above-described handle device.

  The door control device 19 includes an authentication unit 19a controlled by the control unit 11, an illumination control unit 19b, a sensor control unit 19c, and a door lock control unit 19d.

  The authentication unit 19a transmits a request signal to the portable device 10 possessed by the user at predetermined intervals, and when the authentication for the ID signal output from the portable device 10 in response to the request signal is established, the control unit 11 sends an authentication completion signal to the control unit 11. Is output.

  The control unit 11 that has received the authentication establishment signal outputs a standby release signal to the illumination control unit 19b and the sensor control unit 19c, and the illumination control unit 19b that has received this signal causes the visible light emitting diode 5 to emit light, and the sensor control unit 19c wakes up the infrared sensor 4 from the sleep state and returns to the detectable state.

  When the detection signal is output from the infrared sensor 4 in the detectable state, the control unit 11 sets the unlock drive signal in the door lock control unit 19d, and causes the door lock locking unit 21 to transition to the unlock state.

  FIG. 8 shows an operation flow of the door control device 19 described above. First, when the operation starts, the control unit 11 waits for an authentication establishment signal from the authentication unit 19a (step S1). Upon receiving the authentication signal, the control unit 11 starts a timer to measure a valid time (step S2), The light emitting diode 5 is turned on (step S3), and the infrared sensor 4 is changed from the sleep state to the detectable state (step S4).

  In this state, when the infrared sensor 4 detects the approach of the user to the handle (step S5), the door lock locking unit 21 is unlocked (step S6). The motion detection by the infrared sensor 4 is performed until the timer expires (step S51). If the detection by the infrared sensor 4 is not performed within a predetermined valid time, the visible light emitting element 5 is turned off ( (Step S52) Further, after the infrared sensor 4 is shifted to the sleep state (step S53), the processing is terminated.

  In the above description, the case where the approach of the door 1 to the steering wheel is detected has been described as an example, but the vehicle surface portion other than the steering wheel is set as the detection location, and the detection location is illuminated by the visible light emitting element 5. You can also.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Door 2 Grip part 3 Operation space 4 Infrared sensor 5 Visible light emitting element 6 Unit case 7 Detection unit 8 Standing part 9 Concave 10 Portable device 11 Control part 19 Door control device

Claims (2)

A vehicle handle device having a grip portion fixed to a vehicle door and providing a handle at a time of an opening operation of the door,
An infrared sensor that irradiates the operating space between the grip portion and the door surface with emission light to detect insertion of a hand into the operating space;
Formed by incorporating a visible light emitting element that illuminates the detection area of the infrared sensor,
A handlebar device for a vehicle that irradiates light emitted from the visible light emitting element and the infrared sensor from obliquely upward toward a surface center of a concave portion formed on a door surface corresponding to the grip portion . A vehicle handle device having a grip portion fixed to a vehicle door and providing a handle at a time of an opening operation of the door,
An infrared sensor that irradiates the operating space between the grip portion and the door surface with emission light to detect insertion of a hand into the operating space;
Formed by incorporating a visible light emitting element that illuminates the detection area of the infrared sensor,
Having a detection unit housed in a unit case with the visible light emitting element and the infrared sensor arranged close to each other,
Arranging the detection unit at a rising portion from the door surface of the grip portion,
A handlebar device for a vehicle that irradiates light emitted from the visible light emitting element and the infrared sensor from obliquely upward toward a surface center of a concave portion formed on a door surface corresponding to the grip portion.

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