JP6809129B2 - Steering device for electric vehicles - Google Patents

Description

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

In Patent Document 1, one operation mode is set from a plurality of operation modes according to the speed of the obstacle, and the electric motor is controlled by the set operation mode to support traveling according to the state of the obstacle. A driving support method for a small electric vehicle to be controlled is disclosed. Further, in a small electric vehicle such as an electric wheelchair, a traveling support device is known that detects an obstacle with an in-vehicle camera, a laser, or the like and assists the traveling so as to avoid the obstacle.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-110207

In the traveling support device in the background technology, it is conceivable to use automatic steering control for traveling while automatically steering in a direction in which the obstacle can be avoided as one of the avoidance methods when an obstacle is detected. However, when an obstacle is detected and automatic steering control is executed, the operation steering wheel may rotate against the driver's intention, causing a sense of discomfort to the driver.

An object of the present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and it is possible to prevent the operation steering wheel from rotating against the driver's intention when executing automatic steering control to avoid obstacles. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a steering device for an electric vehicle that can eliminate a sense of discomfort related to a person's steering wheel operation.

The steering device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention includes a steering shaft to which an operation handle is connected and transmits an operation force from the operation handle to the steering wheel, an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle, and the obstacle detection means. A steering device for an electric vehicle having a control means for executing automatic steering control so as to avoid the obstacle when the obstacle is detected, and the steering shaft is connected to the operation handle. The first shaft and the second shaft connected to the steering wheel side are connected by being releasably fitted by the connecting means , and the first shaft is connected to the second shaft. A moving means for fitting or releasing the first shaft to the second shaft is provided, the moving means is arranged on the upper portion of the first shaft, and the connecting means is the first shaft. When the automatic steering control is executed, the control means disengages the first shaft from the second shaft by the moving means and rotates the second shaft. It is characterized in that it is configured to steer the steering wheel.

According to the present invention, the steering shaft is composed of a first shaft connected to the operation handle and a second shaft connected to the steering wheel side, and during automatic steering control, the second shaft rotates to steer the wheels. The first shaft and the operation handle are not rotated. As a result, it is possible to prevent the operation steering wheel from rotating against the driver's intention when executing automatic steering control to avoid obstacles, and it is possible to eliminate a sense of discomfort regarding the driver's steering wheel operation.

The left side view which shows the electric vehicle to which one Embodiment in the steering device of the electric vehicle which concerns on this invention is applied. The left side view which shows the circumference of the steering shaft of FIG. FIG. 3 taken from arrow III in FIG. The IV arrow view of FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state of the electromagnetic solenoid mechanism, which is part A in FIG. 4, during normal steering. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state of the lock mechanism, which is the portion B in FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state of the fitting portion, which is the C portion of FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state of the electromagnetic solenoid mechanism, which is part A in FIG. 4, at the time of automatic steering control. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state of the lock mechanism, which is the B portion of FIG. 4, at the time of automatic steering control. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state of the fitting portion, which is the C portion of FIG. 4, at the time of automatic steering control. The block diagram which was mounted on FIG. 1 but shows the system configuration of the steering apparatus. The flowchart which shows the procedure about the automatic steering control executed by the control means of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a left side view showing an electric vehicle to which one embodiment of the electric vehicle steering device according to the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, in an electric vehicle 10 such as a steering wheel type electric wheelchair, a pair of left and right front wheels 12 and rear wheels 13 are supported by a body frame 11 via a suspension (not shown). The vehicle body frame 11, except for a part thereof, is covered with a resin cover including a front cover 14, a leg shield 15, a floor panel 16, a rear cover 17, and the like.

The substantially box-shaped rear cover 17 at the rear of the vehicle body is projected upward, and inside the rear cover 17, a traveling electric motor 18 for driving the rear wheels 13 and the output of the traveling electric motor 18 are used as axles. A gear unit and a battery (both not shown) and the like to be transmitted to 19 are housed. The traveling electric motor 18 applies a driving force to the rear wheels 13 as driving wheels to drive the electric vehicle 10, and is controlled by the control means 20.

Above the rear cover 17, a seat 22 on which the driver sits is mounted via a bracket (not shown) that rises from the vehicle body frame 11. The seat 22 includes a seat cushion 23 and a seat back (backrest) 24. Further, armrests 26 are provided on both sides of the seat back 24, and each armrest 26 is rotatably supported around the fulcrum 27.

The leg shield 15 is arranged in the vertical direction at the front of the vehicle body to protect the legs of the driver seated on the seat 22 from being exposed to wind or the like. A steering shaft 29 for steering the front wheels 12 is erected inside the leg shield 15, and a steering wheel unit 30 is attached to the upper end of the steering shaft 29. During normal steering, the driver sits on the seat 22 and rotates the steering wheel unit 30 to steer the front wheels 12 as steering wheels to the left and right.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the steering wheel unit 30 is provided with semicircular operating handles 32 on the left and right sides of the main plate 31, and the accelerator lever 33 is rotatably provided on the main plate 31. The main plate 31 is housed in a switch box 34, and the switch box 34 is provided with a power switch, a maximum speed setting switch, and the like (not shown).

The accelerator lever 33 bends in a crank shape on both sides from the rotation shaft portion 33A at the central portion in the axial direction and extends in the vehicle width direction, and operation portions 33B are provided at both tip portions. The control means 20 is the traveling electric motor 18 based on the amount of depression when the driver of the electric vehicle 10 places his / her palm on the grip portion 32A of the operation handle 32 and presses the operation portion 33B of the accelerator lever 33 with his / her finger. Is controlled to control the traveling speed of the electric vehicle 10.

By the way, the electric vehicle 10 of the present embodiment automatically steers the front wheels 12 to avoid obstacles when the distance between the obstacles such as steps and grooves and the electric vehicle 10 reaches a distance determined to be dangerous. The steering device 35 is equipped with the automatic steering control to be performed in addition to the normal steering in which the driver manually rotates the steering wheel unit 30 as described above. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the steering device 35 includes a handle unit 30 having an operation handle 32, a steering shaft 29 having a fitting portion 36 as a connecting means, and an electromagnetic solenoid mechanism as a moving means. 37, a lock mechanism 38 as a fixing means, an electric motor 39 for steering, an obstacle detecting means 40 (FIG. 1), a first rotation angle detecting means 41 and a second rotation angle detecting means 42, and a control means 20. (Fig. 1) and.

In the steering shaft 29, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the upper steering shaft 29A as the first shaft and the lower steering shaft 29B as the second shaft are removably fitted by the fitting portion 36 ( Spline coupling or serration coupling; in this embodiment, spline coupling) and coupling. The upper portion of the upper steering shaft 29A is connected to the operation handle 32 attached to the main plate 31 by being connected to the main plate 31 of the handle unit 30 via the electromagnetic solenoid mechanism 37.

A steering plate 44 is fixed to the lower portion of the lower steering shaft 29B, and the steering plate 44 is connected to a knuckle arm that pivotally supports the front wheels 12 via a tie rod (both not shown). As a result, the lower steering shaft 29B is connected to the front wheel 12 side. Therefore, when the upper steering shaft 29A is fitted with the lower steering shaft 29B by the fitting portion 36, the operating force from the operating handle 32 of the steering wheel unit 30 is transmitted to the front wheels 12.

The above-mentioned fitting portion 36 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 10. The bearing 45 is fixed near the lower end of the upper steering shaft 29A by, for example, press fitting. Further, an upper end plug 46 is fixed to the upper end of the lower steering shaft 29B, and the engaging portion 46A of the upper end plug 46 is engaged with the inside of the bearing 45 so as to be relatively movable along the axial direction of the steering shaft 29. To. Further, a spline 47 is formed at the lower end of the upper steering shaft 29A, and a spline 48 is formed at the body 46B of the upper end plug 46, and these splines 47 and 48 are coupled so as to be relatively movable along the axial direction of the steering shaft 29. To.

A> B relationship is established between the dimension A of the engaging portion 46A along the axial direction of the steering shaft 29 and the dimension B of the splines 47 and 48 along the axial direction of the steering shaft 29. When this relationship is established, the upper steering shaft 29A rises from the state shown in FIG. 7 to the state shown in FIG. 10 with respect to the lower steering shaft 29B, the splines 47 and 48 are disconnected, and the upper steering shaft 29A and the upper steering shaft 29A are disconnected. Even when the fitting portion 36 with the lower steering shaft 29B is released, the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B are prevented from being separated from each other.

The electromagnetic solenoid mechanism 37 shown in FIG. 2 moves the upper steering shaft 29A with respect to the lower steering shaft 29B in the axial direction of the steering shaft 29, whereby the upper steering shaft 29A is moved by using the fitting portion 36 described above. It is fitted or unfitted to the lower steering shaft 29B. That is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the electromagnetic solenoid mechanism 37 includes a fixed iron core 49, a movable iron core 50, a copper wire (coil) 51, and a return spring 52, and these are contained in the casing 53. Be housed. The casing 53 is attached to the main plate 31 of the handle unit 30 by using bolts 54 or the like.

The fixed core 49 and the movable core 50 are arranged so as to face each other in the axial direction of the upper steering shaft 29A (steering shaft 29), and the fixed core 49 is fixed to the casing 53. The movable iron core 50 is screw-coupled or pressed (screw-coupled in this embodiment) to the upper end plug 55 welded to the upper end of the upper steering shaft 29A. Further, the copper wire 51 is installed around the fixed iron core 49 and the movable iron core 50, and the return spring 52 is interposed between the fixed iron core 49 and the movable iron core 50.

When the energization of the copper wire 51 is stopped (during normal steering), as shown in FIG. 5, the upper steering shaft 29A is maintained in the lowered position by the urging force of the return spring 52. At this time, in the fitting portion 36, as shown in FIG. 7, the spline 47 of the upper steering shaft 29A and the spline 48 of the upper end plug 46 of the lower steering shaft 29B are held in a coupled state. Therefore, the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B are fitted by the fitting portion 36 and are integrally rotatably provided around the axis of the steering shaft 29.

When the copper wire 51 is energized (during automatic steering control), as shown in FIG. 8, the movable iron core 50 is attracted to the fixed iron core 49 side against the urging force of the return spring 52. As a result, the upper steering shaft 29A rises toward the handle unit 30 with respect to the lower steering shaft 29B. At this time, in the fitting portion 36, as shown in FIG. 10, the spline 47 of the upper steering shaft 29A and the spline 48 of the upper end plug 46 of the lower steering shaft 29B are disconnected, and the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower side are disconnected. The fitting with the steering shaft 29B by the fitting portion 36 is released. Therefore, the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B are separately rotatably provided around the axis of the steering shaft 29.

The lock mechanism 38 shown in FIG. 2 includes a lock plate 58 attached to a brace 57 fixed to the vehicle body frame 11 side, and a disk plate 59 fixed to, for example, the upper steering shaft 29A. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the lock claw 60 is attached to one of the lock plate 58 and the disk plate 59 (lock plate 58 in this embodiment), and the lock claw 60 is attached to the other (disk plate 59 in this embodiment). A plurality of lock holes 61 are formed in the circumferential direction of the lock plate 58 and the disk plate 59. When the lock claw 60 engages with the lock hole 61, the upper steering shaft 29A and the handle unit 30 are fixed (locked), and the upper steering shaft 29A is rotated by the operating force from the operating handle 32 of the handle unit 30. Is blocked.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lock claw 60 and the lock hole 61 have the upper steering shaft 29A lowered when the energization of the electromagnetic solenoid mechanism 37 to the copper wire 51 is stopped (during normal steering). Because it is in the state of At this time, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, since the upper steering shaft 29A is in the fitted state with the lower steering shaft 29B by the fitting portion 36, the operation handle 32 of the handle unit 30 is operated by operating the operation handle 32. The upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B rotate integrally around the axis of the steering shaft 29, and the front wheels 12 are steered.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, when the copper wire 51 of the electromagnetic solenoid mechanism 37 is energized (during automatic steering control), the upper steering shaft 29A with respect to the lower steering shaft 29B. The steering wheel unit 30 is raised to the side, and the fitting portion 36 is released from the fitting with the lower steering shaft 29B. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 9, the lock claw 60 and the lock hole 61 are engaged with each other in conjunction with the ascent of the upper steering shaft 29A for releasing the fitting. As a result, the rotation of the upper steering shaft 29A and the steering wheel unit 30 (operation handle 32) is prevented during automatic steering control.

The steering electric motor 39 shown in FIG. 2 is attached to the frame bracket 63 fixed to the vehicle body frame 11 via the motor bracket 64. A pinion gear 65 is fixed to the motor shaft of the steering electric motor 39, and the pinion gear 65 meshes with a counter gear 66 fixed to the lower steering shaft 29B. Therefore, by driving the electric motor 39 for steering, the lower steering shaft 29B rotates around the axis of the steering shaft 29 via the pinion gear 65 and the counter gear 66, whereby the front wheels 12 are steered. The driving of the steering electric motor 39 is performed not only during automatic steering control but also when the rotation angle of the lower steering shaft 29B matches the rotation angle of the upper steering shaft 29A as described later.

The obstacle detecting means 40 shown in FIGS. 1 and 11 are installed in the front and rear of the electric vehicle 10, that is, at the front end of the front cover 14 and the rear end of the rear cover 17, respectively. These obstacle detecting means 40 are a camera, an optical (for example, laser) distance sensor, an ultrasonic distance sensor, and the like, and detect obstacles such as steps and grooves, and the obstacle and the electric vehicle 10. Detect the distance of. The detection signal detected by the obstacle detecting means 40 is transmitted to the control means 20.

The first rotation angle detecting means 41 shown in FIGS. 2 and 11 includes a first gear plate 67 fixed to the upper steering shaft 29A and a first rotation angle sensor 68 installed on the brace 57. To. When the first gear plate 67 meshes with the detection unit of the first rotation angle sensor 68, the rotation angle (steering angle) of the upper steering shaft 29A is detected by the first rotation angle sensor 68. Further, the second rotation angle detecting means 42 includes a second gear plate 69 fixed to the lower steering shaft 29B and a second rotation angle sensor 70 installed on the frame bracket 63. When the second gear plate 69 meshes with the detection unit of the second rotation angle sensor 70, the rotation angle (steering angle) of the lower steering shaft 29B is detected by the second rotation angle sensor 70. The rotation angles detected by the first rotation angle detecting means 41 and the second rotation angle detecting means 42 are transmitted to the control means 20.

The control means 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 11 has a traveling speed control function for controlling the traveling speed of the electric vehicle 10 by controlling the traveling electric motor 18 based on the pressing operation of the operation unit 33B of the accelerator lever 33, and an obstacle. When an obstacle is detected by the object detecting means 40, it has an automatic steering control function for avoiding the obstacle. The latter automatic steering control function will be described below.

When the obstacle detecting means 40 detects an obstacle such as a step or a groove and the distance between the obstacle and the electric vehicle 10 reaches a distance determined to be dangerous (at the time of automatic steering start determination). By energizing the copper wire 51 of the electromagnetic solenoid mechanism 37, the upper steering shaft 29A shown in FIG. 2 is raised with respect to the lower steering shaft 29B. By raising the upper steering shaft 29A, the fitting between the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B by the fitting portion 36 is released, and the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B are the axes of the steering shaft 29. Relative rotation becomes possible around. At the same time, the lock claw 60 (FIG. 9) of the lock plate 58 attached to the brace 57 engages with the lock hole 61 of the disk plate 59 mounted on the upper steering shaft 29A, thereby engaging the upper steering shaft 29A and the handle unit. 30 (operation handle 32) is fixed (locked) to prevent their rotation.

After that, the control means 20 drives the steering electric motor 39 to rotate the lower steering shaft 29B, and executes automatic steering control to steer the front wheels 12 in order to avoid obstacles.

Further, when the obstacles are avoided by the execution of the automatic steering control and the obstacles are no longer detected by the obstacle detecting means 40 (at the time of automatic steering release determination), the control means 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 11 The rotation angle (steering angle) of the upper steering shaft 29A detected by the first rotation angle detecting means 41 and the rotation angle (steering angle) of the lower steering shaft 29B detected by the second rotation angle detecting means 42 match. The steering electric motor 39 is driven to rotate the lower steering shaft 29B around its axis. Then, when the respective rotation angles detected by the first rotation angle detecting means 41 and the second rotation angle detecting means 42 match, the steering electric motor 39 is stopped.

In this state, the control means 20 stops energizing the copper wire 51 of the electromagnetic solenoid mechanism 37, lowers the upper steering shaft 29A shown in FIG. 2, and fits the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B. It is fitted and connected by the joint portion 36, and the automatic steering control is terminated. As a result, the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B can rotate integrally around the axis of the steering shaft 29 to prepare for normal steering by the driver.

The above-mentioned automatic steering control by the control means 20 will be further described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
The control means 20 determines whether or not an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detecting means 40 and the distance between the obstacle and the electric vehicle 10 reaches a distance determined to be dangerous (S1). In the case of Yes, which is determined in step S1 that the distance between the obstacle and the electric vehicle 10 has reached a distance determined to be dangerous, the control means 20 starts energizing the copper wire 51 of the electromagnetic solenoid mechanism 37. The upper steering shaft 29A is raised with respect to the lower steering shaft 29B, and the fitting portion 36 between the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B is released (S2).

After step S2, the control means 20 drives the steering electric motor 39 to execute automatic steering control and steer the front wheels 12 (S3). The control means 20 determines whether or not the obstacle has been avoided by executing the automatic steering control in step S3 based on the detection signal from the obstacle detecting means 40 (S4), and performs automatic steering control until the obstacle is avoided. continue.

When the control means 20 determines that the obstacle has been avoided in step S4, the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B detected by the first rotation angle detecting means 41 and the second rotation angle detecting means 42, respectively. It is determined whether or not the rotation angles (steering angles) of the above are the same (S5). When the rotation angles of the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B do not match, the control means 20 drives the steering electric motor 39 to rotate the lower steering shaft 29B. The rotation angle of the lower steering shaft 29B is matched with the rotation angle of the upper steering shaft 29A (S6).

In step S5, when the rotation angles of the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B are the same, the control means 20 stops the energization of the electromagnetic solenoid mechanism 37 to the copper wire 51 and stops the upper steering shaft. 29A is lowered, and the upper steering shaft 29A is fitted to the lower steering shaft 29B by the fitting portion 36 (S7). By executing this step 7, the automatic steering control is completed, and the driver prepares for the normal steering (S8). Further, in the case of No where no obstacle is detected in step S1, automatic steering control is not performed and normal steering by the driver is performed.

Since it is configured as described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects (1) to (5) are obtained.
(1) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the steering shaft 29 includes an upper steering shaft 29A connected to a steering wheel unit 30 provided with an operation handle 32 and a lower steering shaft 29B connected to the front wheel 12 side. Are connected and configured by being releasably fitted by the fitting portion 36. Then, when the control means 20 executes the automatic steering control, the electromagnetic solenoid mechanism 37 releases the fitting of the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B by the fitting portion 36, and causes the steering electric motor 39 to be released. The front wheels 12 are steered by driving and rotating the lower steering shaft 29B.

Therefore, when the automatic steering control is executed, the upper steering shaft 29A and the steering wheel unit 30 (operation handle 32) are not rotated. As a result, it is possible to prevent the steering wheel unit 30 (operating steering wheel 32) from rotating against the intention of the driver holding the operating steering wheel 32 of the steering wheel unit 30 when executing automatic steering control to avoid obstacles. It is possible to eliminate the discomfort related to the driver's steering wheel operation.

(2) As shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 9, the upper steering shaft 29A and the handle unit 30 are fixed (locked) to the upper steering shaft 29A by engaging the lock claw 60 with the lock hole 61. A lock mechanism 38 is provided to prevent their rotation. Then, when the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B are disengaged and the lower steering shaft 29B is rotated by the steering electric motor 39 during automatic steering control, the upper steering shaft 29A is provided by the lock mechanism 38. And the rotation of the handle unit 30 is blocked.

Therefore, careless rotation of the upper steering shaft 29A is prevented during automatic steering control, and the driver can prevent the driver from becoming unstable by grasping the operation handle 32 of the steering wheel unit 30. Therefore, the front wheels 12 can be steered at the maximum steering angle during automatic steering control.

(3) As shown in FIGS. 2, 8 and 9, the upper steering shaft 29A is raised by energizing the copper wire 51 of the electromagnetic solenoid mechanism 37, and the fitting portion 36 is fitted with the lower steering shaft 29B. When releasing the connection, the lock mechanism 38 engages the lock claw 60 with the lock hole 61 in conjunction with the above-mentioned rise of the upper steering shaft 29A to fix (lock) the upper steering shaft 29A and the handle unit 30. .. In this way, the operation (locking) of the lock mechanism 38 and the disengagement of the fitting portion 36 can be performed by the electromagnetic solenoid mechanism 37 which is the same drive source. As a result, the drive source of the lock mechanism 38 and the fitting portion 36 can be shared, and the system configuration of the steering device 35 can be simplified.

(4) As shown in FIG. 2, at the end of the automatic steering control, the rotation angle of the upper steering shaft 29A detected by the first rotation angle detecting means 41 and the lower side detected by the second rotation angle detecting means 42. When the rotation angle of the steering shaft 29B matches, the energization of the electromagnetic solenoid mechanism 37 to the copper wire 51 is stopped to lower the upper steering shaft 29A, and the upper steering shaft 29A is lowered by the fitting portion 36. It is configured to be fitted and connected to the steering shaft 29B. Therefore, in the normal steering by the driver after the automatic steering control is completed, the positional relationship between the operation handle 32 of the steering wheel unit 30 and the front wheels 12 becomes appropriate, and this normal steering can be appropriately performed.

(5) As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B are detachably fitted and connected by a spline coupling or a serration coupling of the fitting portion 36. Therefore, as compared with the case where the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B are connected by using frictional force, the rotational force (operating force) can be reliably transmitted between the upper steering shaft 29A and the lower steering shaft 29B. .. Moreover, since the fitting portion 36 has a small number of parts, is lightweight, and is compact, the operating force of the driver on the operation handle 32 can be reduced, and the steering electric motor 39 can be miniaturized. Further, the degree of freedom in design around the steering shaft 29 can be expanded.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention, and the replacements and changes thereof can be made. , It is included in the scope and gist of the invention, and is also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

12 ... Front wheel (steering wheel), 20 ... Control means, 29 ... Steering shaft, 29A ... Upper steering shaft, 29B ... Lower steering shaft, 30 ... Steering unit, 32 ... Operating handle, 35 ... Steering device, 36 ... Fitting Part (connecting means), 37 ... electromagnetic solenoid mechanism (moving means), 38 ... locking mechanism (fixing means), 39 ... electric motor for steering, 40 ... obstacle detecting means, 41 ... first rotation angle detecting means, 42 ... 2nd rotation angle detecting means, 47, 48 ... spline, 58 ... lock plate, 59 ... disk plate, 60 ... lock claw, 61 ... lock hole, 67 ... first gear plate, 68 ... first rotation angle sensor, 69 ... 2nd gear plate, 70 ... 2nd rotation angle sensor.

Claims (5)

When the steering shaft is connected to the steering wheel and transmits the operating force from the steering wheel to the steering wheel, the obstacle detecting means for detecting the obstacle, and the obstacle is detected by the obstacle detecting means. A steering device for an electric vehicle having a control means for executing automatic steering control so as to avoid this obstacle.
The steering shaft is configured by connecting a first shaft connected to the operation handle and a second shaft connected to the steering wheel side by being releasably fitted by a connecting means .
A moving means for fitting or disfitting the first shaft to or disengaging the second shaft by moving the first shaft with respect to the second shaft is provided.
The moving means is arranged above the first shaft, and the connecting means is arranged below the first shaft.
When the automatic steering control is executed, the control means steers the steering wheel by releasing the mating between the first shaft and the second shaft by the moving means and rotating the second shaft. A steering device for an electric vehicle, characterized in that it is configured to be driven. The first shaft is provided with fixing means for preventing the first shaft from rotating due to an operating force from the operation handle between the moving means and the connecting means, and the control means executes automatic steering control. The steering device for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means is configured to prevent the rotation of the first shaft. The fixing means is configured to prevent the rotation of the first shaft in conjunction with the movement of the first shaft so as to release the fitting with the second shaft by the moving means. The steering device for an electric vehicle according to claim 2. The electric motor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the operation handle is provided on a handle unit, and the handle unit is connected to an upper portion of a first shaft via a moving means. Vehicle steering wheel. When the rotation angle of the first shaft and the rotation angle of the second shaft become the same at the end of the automatic steering control, the control means causes the first shaft to be fitted to the second shaft by the moving means. The steering device for an electric vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the steering device is configured to be connected to each other.

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