JPH0227174B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a remote control device having an operation section on a steering wheel. For details, the driver of the car, for steering operation,
An operating section is provided in the circular or round-shaped steering wheel section that applies rotational force by direct touch,
The present invention relates to a remote control device in which a receiving section and a load are provided on the vehicle body side, and remote control operations can be performed from the operating section.

Conventionally, only a horn switch was simply provided in the steering wheel section.
This is because a sliding contact or a coiled cord must be provided for signal transmission between the rotating part of the steering wheel and the vehicle body where the load is installed, and it is not possible to install large-scale devices on the steering wheel. This is for the sake of Therefore, even when operating the steering wheel, the structure is such that only the minimum essential horn operation can be performed.

However, in general, as the electronics of automobiles progress, electrical operations have become more diverse. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to control the electrical system easily and safely even when the vehicle is running or when operating the steering wheel. For this purpose, it is most desirable to provide various operating units on the steering wheel closest to the driver.

However, in order to provide various operating sections on the steering wheel, due to mounting issues, the operating section must have an extremely simple structure, and the rotating section of the steering wheel must be connected to the receiving section, which is the opposing stationary section. There are problems such as complicated wiring and, in some cases, the use of many sliding contacts, which is not desirable in terms of reliability. Therefore, it is desirable that the number of signal lines connecting the operating section and the remote receiving section be as small as possible. The present invention has been made from this viewpoint.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel with various operation switches, which can be easily operated remotely even when operating the steering wheel, and which has a simple structure, compared to the number of types of operation signals. Using multiple signal lines with a small number of signal lines to be modulated, the voltage to be modulated is applied from the vehicle body side, and this is modulated and a coded signal is sent out for remote control. It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote control device that is provided with a power storage unit that stores signal power from the signal line in order to supply power to the active elements used, and omit the power supply line.

That is, the present invention includes an operating section provided on an automobile steering wheel, a receiving section provided on the vehicle body side, and a plurality of signal lines connecting the operating section and the receiving section, and the operating section includes: , an input switch section for remote operation, and corresponding to the operating state of the switch section,
an encoder section that outputs a binary parallel encoded signal;
a line driver that modulates a voltage level applied from an in-vehicle battery to the plurality of signal lines via the receiving unit to a battery voltage level or a ground level in response to an encoded signal output from the encoder unit; and the line driver. a power storage unit that is connected to each output end of a plurality of switching elements constituting the plurality of switching elements via a unidirectional conduction element and supplies power to the encoder unit; a decoder section that decodes the binary parallel encoded signal received through the decoder section and outputs a corresponding decoded signal; The remote control device is characterized in that it has a power supply section that supplies power to a specific load that is connected to the remote control device.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram representing the concept of the present invention. The operating unit 10 has a compact structure so that it can be installed on a steering wheel. What is the steering wheel here?
It is made of a circular or round-shaped part that is rotated by the driver's hand for steering. The steering wheel is composed of a central boss section, a peripheral ring section, and a wheel section that connects these sections. The operating portion may be provided anywhere on the rotating portion of the steering wheel.

The operating section 10 is composed of an input switch section 20 and an encoder section 30 consisting of active elements.
The input switch section 20 is a section through which a remote operation is manually input by the driver through a key operation or a switching operation. For example, a push button switch, a snap switch, a toggle switch, etc. can be used. The encoder section 30 is a section that generates parallel encoded signals that are binarized according to the operation status of the input switch section. It is desirable that the encoder section 30 uses a CMOS IC with low power consumption. Further, the plurality of outputs of the encoder section 30 are connected to the plurality of signal lines 40 via the line driver 12. Here, the line driver 12 is configured to ground or open the voltage supplied to the signal line 40 from the on-vehicle battery of the receiving section 50 provided on the vehicle body side based on the minute signal output from the encoder section. It is a switching element that modulates. That is, the voltage generated on the signal line 40 is applied from an on-vehicle battery provided on the vehicle body side. Therefore, instead of sending the output of the encoder section directly to the signal line, the output signal of the encoder section is obtained by modulating the high voltage on the signal line 40 by the line driver 12. Each output terminal of the line driver for the plurality of signal lines is connected to power storage unit 14 . The power storage unit 14 is an element that receives a parallel encoded voltage, integrates the voltage over time, and stores power. This power is supplied from an on-vehicle battery provided in the receiving section 50. The electric power stored in the power storage unit 14 is supplied to the above-mentioned active encoder unit. Moreover, the electric power stored in this electric storage unit can also be used as electric power for other electric devices provided in the steering wheel. The power storage unit 14 has a configuration in which a plurality of signal lines are each connected to a power storage element, such as a capacitor, via a unidirectional conducting element, such as a diode. Also, a rechargeable battery can be used instead of a capacitor. A voltage is supplied to the plurality of signal lines 40 from an on-vehicle battery via a receiving section 50 provided on the vehicle body side. The binary parallel encoded signal is encoded based on this power supply voltage in accordance with the operation status of the input switch. The plurality of signal lines 40 connect the operating section 10 provided on the steering wheel section and the receiving section 50 installed on the vehicle body, and generally a sliding contact is used in the middle.

The receiving section 50 mainly includes a decoder section 60 and a power supply section 7.
It is made up of 0. The decoder section 60 has a function of decoding the binary parallel encoded signals appearing on the plurality of signal lines 40 and generating a decoded signal as a result of the decoding according to the binary parallel encoded signals. Here, the decoding signal is a signal indicating which switch of the input switch section 20 has been operated. Power supply section 7
0 has a switching power supply function of receiving the decoded signal from the decoder section 60 and starting power supply only to the load specified by the binary encoded signal.

The present invention consists of the above configuration. The overall operation is as follows. Input switch section 20
By operating the signal, the encoder unit 30 encodes the signal according to the operating situation, and the line driver 12 modulates the battery voltage applied to the plurality of signal lines 40 in accordance with the signal. multiple signal lines 4
The signal reaches the decoder section 60 through the signal 0. The decoder section 60 decodes the binary encoded signal,
The power supply section 70 supplies power to the load specified thereby.

On the other hand, the operation unit 10 provided on the steering wheel connects the line driver output terminals to the power storage unit 14, and receives power from the signal line 40 provided on the vehicle body side in the power storage unit 14 to which battery voltage is applied, and generates electricity. Store electricity. Also, in this case, a signal code in which all signal lines are at ground level is not used. Either signal line will then go high and power can be supplied from the battery. Therefore, electricity is stored in the power storage unit 14, and the action of the power storage unit 14 supplies power to the encoder unit 30.

As described above, the present invention provides an operation section in the steering wheel section to remotely control a plurality of loads installed on the vehicle body, and uses a binary coded signal as the signal format. It has characteristics. If the number of signal lines is n, then 2 ⁿ −
It is possible to send out one type of operating signal. Therefore, the types of signals that can be transmitted can be increased compared to the number of signal lines.

Even if the steering wheel 10 is provided with an active element, power can be supplied by the action of the power storage unit 14. Moreover, since power is taken from the signal line, no power supply line is required.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail based on specific examples. FIG. 2 is an electrical circuit diagram showing a first embodiment of the remote control device of the present invention. Blocks surrounded by dash-dotted lines correspond to the blocks in FIG. 1, and the corresponding blocks are given the same numbers as in FIG. The input switch section 20 is composed of seven push button switches 21 to 27. Each pushbutton switch is connected in parallel and connected to a plurality of signal lines 40 via an encoder section 30, respectively.

The encoder unit 30 is an encoder composed of a CMOS IC that outputs a specific binary encoded signal when a specific push button switch is pressed.

The output of the encoder section 30 consists of three signal lines, each of which is connected to the base ends of transistors Tr11, Tr12, and Tr13 forming the line driver 12. Collector terminals of the line driver are connected to signal lines 41, 42, and 43, respectively, and each signal line is connected to the positive terminal of an on-vehicle battery 75 via resistors R1, R2, and R3 provided in the receiving device 60. The line driver 12 has an open collector connection. On the other hand, the output ends of the operation unit 10 are respectively connected to the power storage unit 14.
The signal line 41 connects the diode D1, the signal line 42 connects the diode D2, and the signal line 43 connects the diode D3.
are connected to the anode end of the electrolytic capacitor C1 through the respective terminals. Further, the cathode terminal of the electrolytic capacitor C1 is grounded. Furthermore, the anode end of the electrolytic capacitor C1 is connected to the power supply terminal B of the encoder section 30.
is connected to supply power. Each transistor forming the line driver 12 becomes conductive in response to the encoded signal output from the encoder section, modulating the voltage of each signal line 40 from the battery voltage of 12 volts to the ground level. Therefore, the line driver 12 causes the signal line 40 to
High level 12 volt voltage and ground level 0
2 each modulated and encoded into a voltage of volts.
The decimal data will be displayed.

This encoded voltage is decoded by a decoder section 60 that constitutes a part of the receiving section 50 provided on the vehicle body side. Some of the three signal lines are connected through an inverter, and the other signal lines are connected directly.
It is input to AND circuits 61 to 67. Each AND
The circuit outputs a high level signal when all three inputs of each binary parallel encoded signal are high level. The output of each AND circuit is connected to the bases of transistors Tr1 to Tr7 (Tr4 to Tr7 are not shown), respectively. Relays 71 to 77 are connected to the collectors of the transistors Tr1 to Tr7.
(74 to 77 are not shown) are connected, and these relays are connected to the positive electrode of an on-vehicle battery 75. Relay contacts 71a to 77a (74a to 77a are not shown), which are operated by the operation of each relay, supply power from the on-board battery 75 to loads 81 to 87 (84 to 87 are not shown), respectively.
It acts as a switch to supply the

The detailed operation of the above configuration will be explained next. The output signal line 31 of the encoder section is 2 to the 0th power,
The signal line 32 represents the first power of 2, and the signal line 33 represents the digit of the second power. Also, signal line 4
Similarly, for 1, 42, and 43, 0 of 2 respectively.
We promise that they will represent the digits of the power, 2 to the 1st power, and 2 to the 2nd power, respectively. When the switch 21 becomes conductive and one input terminal of the encoder section 30 is grounded, the encoder section outputs an encoded signal of 001 (positive logic). Similarly, when the switch 22 is activated and the other input end of the encoder section is grounded, the output of the encoder section becomes 010. Thereafter, similarly encoded signals are input to the base terminals of the line driver 12, respectively. When the switch 21 is activated and a signal of 001 is input to the line driver, only the transistor Tr11 becomes conductive, and only the signal line 41 is grounded to 0V. and signal lines 42, 43
maintains the battery voltage, which is the power supply voltage, at 12V. Therefore, in this case, switch 21
As a result, on the signal line 40,
A signal encoded as 001 (negative logic) is transmitted.
Below, the signal line 40 will be shown in negative logic. or,
When the switch 22 is activated, the transistor Tr12
Only the signal line 42 is activated, and only the signal line 42 is at 0V, and the signal lines 41 and 43 remain at 12V. Therefore,
In this case, it will be encoded as 010.

Next, the decoder section 60 that decodes this encoded voltage signal will be explained. The AND circuit 61 receives only the signal from the signal line 41 via the inverter 601. When switch 21 is pressed, only signal line 41 goes low. Therefore, all the signals input to the AND circuit 61 become high level signals, and only the output of the AND circuit 61 becomes a high level signal. Therefore, it is determined by the AND circuit 61 that the switch 21 has been operated. AND
The high level signal of the circuit 61 is transmitted to the transistor Tr1.
is turned on, current flows through the relay 71 connected to the collector, and the relay contact 71a is turned on to supply power to the load 81. Similarly, when only the switch 22 is pressed, only the signal line 42 becomes low level, so that only the output of the AND circuit 62, which inputs the signal of the signal line 42 via the inverter, becomes high level. Therefore, in this case, only the load 82 operates in the same manner as described above.

Thereafter, when only the switch 23 is similarly closed, the output of only the AND circuit 63 becomes high level, and power is supplied only to the load 83.

Similar decoding is performed up to switch 27. Also, when all switches are off,
000 encoded signal is input, the outputs of all AND circuits become low level, and power supply to all loads is cut off. In this way, control signals for seven loads can be transmitted through three signal lines.

In the signal encoded as above,
111 (negative logic) signals, that is, encoding such that all signal lines are at ground level is not performed. Then, one of the signal lines is always at a high level, and the capacitor C1 of the power storage unit 14
is supplied with power from the battery 75, and its terminal voltage will maintain the battery voltage. This stored power is supplied to the encoder section 30. It is desirable that the power of the encoder section be as low as possible. This is because if a large amount of power is taken from the capacitor C1, sufficient power will not be supplied due to the voltage effect due to the resistance provided in the receiving section 50.

Next, a remote control device according to another embodiment will be described. A remote control device according to another embodiment is the device of the first embodiment provided with a control signal storage circuit. As shown in FIG. 3, in the circuit of the first embodiment,
For example, the output of the AND circuit 61 is transferred to a T-type flip-flop circuit 651 which is a binary state voltage holding circuit.
is connected to the T terminal of the flip-flop circuit 651.
The Q terminal output of is connected to the base of transistor Tr1. Although not shown, the AND circuit 62
Similarly, the outputs of ~67 are also output from the flip-flop circuit 6.
It is connected to the bases of Tr2 to Tr7 via terminals 52 to 657.

The action will be explained below. First, when the ignition switch of the car is turned on, a reset signal is applied to each flip-flop circuit to put it into a reset state. Next, if only switch 21 is pressed, 001
The encoded signal is propagated and decoded by the AND circuit 61, and its high level signal is input to the T terminal of the flip-flop circuit 651, thereby holding the flip-flop circuit in the set state. Even if the switch 21 is opened after this setting, the fact that the switch 21 was operated once is stored in the flip-flop circuit 651, and the load 81
Continue to supply power to the Next, when the switch 21 is pressed a second time and the same 001 encoded signal is transmitted, it is decoded only by the same AND 61, and the AND circuit 61 outputs a high level signal.
Then, flip-flop circuit 651 receives this second pulse and enters the reset state. Therefore, the transistor Tr1 is turned off to cut off the power supply to the load 81. In this way, by making the first operation of one switch a load power supply start signal and the second operation a load power supply stop signal, a signal can be sent while power is being supplied to a specific load. line 4
It is possible to open 0 to other operating signals.
Therefore, it is possible to operate multiple operation switches in a time-sharing manner, and power supply can be started to multiple loads at the same time, making remote control operations more effective than in the first embodiment. It becomes possible. By opening the signal line during the time when the switch is not operated in this way, the power storage unit 14 is effectively
Battery voltage can be received from all signal lines almost all the time. Therefore, the resistors R1, R2, and R3 inserted into each signal line are connected in parallel, so that the resistance voltage drop is reduced and sufficient power can be supplied. In this way, by giving only the operation start signal and operation stop signal to the load and releasing the signal line while power is being supplied to the load, power can be effectively supplied from the battery during that period. , which is more desirable than that of the first embodiment.
Here, the input switch section 20 needs to have a mechanical configuration that similarly prevents two switches from being pressed. This is because if two switches are pressed at the same time, a code other than the one promised may be encoded, resulting in malfunction. Further, an electric circuit may be configured to give priority to the switches. Although it has been explained in this embodiment that seven operation signals can be transmitted using three signal lines, the present invention is not limited to the number of these signal lines and the number of operation signals.

In summary, the present invention is a remote control device in which an operating section is provided on the steering wheel section, and a receiving section and a load are provided on the vehicle body side, and power is supplied to active elements in the operating section by integrating the signal line voltage. , it is designed to supply that power.
Therefore, no dedicated power supply line is required. Further, a binary coded parallel encoded signal is used for signal transmission and reception, and the encoded signal is decoded in a receiving section to perform remote control to start or stop power supply to a specific load.

Therefore, with the device of the present invention, the operating section can be installed extremely easily in the steering wheel section, which has little installation space, and the number of signal lines connecting the rotating section and the non-rotating section can be greatly reduced compared to the number of operating signals. Therefore, it is very effective as a remote control device having an operating section on the steering wheel section.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the concept of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an electrical circuit diagram showing a specific embodiment of the remote control device of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an electric circuit diagram showing characteristic parts of a remote control device according to another embodiment. 10...Operation unit, 20...Input switch unit, 3
0... Encoder section, 40... Signal line, 50...
Receiving section, 60... Decoder section, 70... Power feeding section,
80...Load.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Consisting of an operating section provided on a steering wheel for an automobile, a receiving section provided on the vehicle body side, and a plurality of signal lines connecting the operating section and the receiving section, the operating section is an input switch section for remote operation, and 2 corresponding to the operating state of the switch section.
An encoder section that outputs a hex-parallel encoded signal; and a voltage level applied from the in-vehicle battery to the plurality of signal lines via the reception section in response to the encoded signal output from the encoder section is set to a battery voltage level or It has a line driver that modulates to a ground level, and a power storage unit that is connected to each output terminal of a plurality of switching elements constituting the line driver via a unidirectional conduction element and supplies power to the encoder unit. , the receiving section includes a decoder section that decodes the binary parallel encoded signal received via the plurality of signal lines and outputs a corresponding decoded signal; A remote control device comprising: a power feeding section that feeds power to a specific load specified by the binary parallel encoded signal. 2. The decoder section is provided with a binary state voltage holding circuit that counts the decoded signal in binary, and the operation section provides a synchronized specific signal only when starting and stopping the operation of a specific load, and when the load is operating. 2. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of signal lines are electrically isolated from the specific signal.