JPH034005Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electric signal generating device for a vehicle that generates a plurality of electric signals in response to the swinging of one operating member.

Conventionally, in vehicles equipped with track pillars, such as bulldozers, the steering device is composed of two operating levers and a hydraulic mechanism controlled by these operating levers, and the two operating levers are operated using the steering device. Then, the amount of operation is mechanically transmitted to a hydraulic mechanism to operate the hydraulic mechanism, thereby adjusting the driving force transmitted to both the left and right caterpillars, respectively, and causing the vehicle to turn left or right. Ta.

However, with the above configuration, two operating levers must be operated in order to turn the vehicle left or right, which is extremely troublesome and requires skill. Moreover, since the amount of operation of the two operating levers was mechanically transmitted to the hydraulic mechanism, there was a problem that the operating force of the operating levers was too large and tiring, especially in large bulldozers.

The present invention was developed in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to simultaneously generate two types of electrical signals in response to the swinging of one operating member, and to operate the vehicle using these electrical signals. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical signal generator for a vehicle, which can simplify the operation and optimize the operating force.

An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a bulldozer steering device will be described below with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a main body case of a steering device, which is an electrical signal generator for a vehicle, which is installed and fixed upright in front of the driver's seat of a bulldozer; 2, an operating lever, which is an operating member, is swingably attached to the main body case 1 by means to be described later; 3; 4 is a support fitting fixed to the lower end of the operating lever 2 by, for example, welding, and 4 is inserted into the insertion hole 3a in the center of the support fitting 3 so as to be oriented in the front-rear direction (direction indicated by arrow H in FIG. 2). The rotating shaft 4 is a first rotating body, and is rotatably supported by the main body case 1 via bearings 5 and 6 fitted to both ends thereof, respectively. The operating lever 2 is moved in the left-right direction (as indicated by arrows A and B in FIG.
It is mounted so that it can rotate in the direction shown in ). That is, 7 is a support shaft that is inserted in order into bearings 8, 8 fitted into the support holes 3b, 3b of the support fitting 3 and the insertion hole 4a of the rotary shaft 4, and has a flange 7 at one end.
a, and a nut 9 is screwed onto the other end. Therefore, the operating lever 2 is also rotatable in the front-rear direction (directions indicated by arrows C and D in FIG. 2) about the support shaft 7 via the support metal fitting 3. Reference numeral 10 denotes a guide bar fixed, for example, by welding, to the lower end of the support fitting 3 so as to be in line with the operating lever 2, and the lower end of this guide bar 10 is fixed to the main case 1 in a guide groove 11a of the pattern plate 11. (see Fig. 5a), the rotation direction, that is, the swinging direction of the operating lever 2 can be changed to the fifth direction.
It is regulated to follow the operation pattern shown in Figure b. Reference numerals 12 and 13 refer to a first rotary shaft 4 that is fitted and fixed to the front end (the right side in FIG. 2) of the rotating shaft 4.
and a second spring case, 14 and 15 are sleeves attached to the inner periphery of both spring cases,
16 and 17 are first and second coil springs installed in both spring cases 12 and 13, and both ends of these coil springs 16 and 17 are arranged as shown in FIG. Locking plates 18, 19 protrude outward from notches 12a, 12b and 13a, 13b formed in the spring cases 12, 13, respectively, and are fixed to the main body case 1 according to the rotation angle of the rotary shaft 4. It is designed to come into contact with the upper end of the When the operating lever 2 is rotated to the left or right (in the direction of arrow A or B in FIG. 1), initially (within the range indicated by a in FIG. 1) the first coil spring 16 is rotated. When only the protruding end comes into contact with the locking plate 18 or 19, the coil spring 16 causes the opposite arrow A.
Alternatively, a spring force acts in the opposite direction of arrow B, and the first
When the rotation operation is performed in the direction of arrow A or arrow B beyond the range indicated by a in the figure, the second coil spring 1
The protruding end of 7 also comes into contact with the locking plate 18 or 19, so that spring force is applied by both coil springs 16 and 17 in the opposite direction of arrow A or the opposite direction of arrow B, so that the operating lever 2 is always automatically operated. It is designed so that it can return to an upright position (neutral position) at any time. The relationship between the rotation angle of the operating lever 2 and its operating force at this time is shown in the sixth section.
Shown in Figure a. 20 is a first large gear fitted to the front end (right end in FIG. 2) of the rotating shaft 4; 21 is a first small gear meshed with the first large gear 20; The gear 21 is the first large gear 2
The first large gear 20 is rotated by an angle that is always increased by a constant magnification of the rotation angle of 0.
Together, they constitute a first speed increasing mechanism 22 that speeds up the rotation of the rotary shaft 4. 23 is the rotating shaft 23
A is a first potentiometer, which is a first signal generator, connected to a first small gear 21. An electric signal corresponding to the rotation of the first small gear 21, which is the output rotation of the speed increasing mechanism 22, is output as a voltage value as shown in FIG. 6b. On the other hand, 24 is an arm that is a second rotating body that is rotated in accordance with the rotation operation of the operating lever 2 in the front and rear direction.
The arm 24 is pivotally supported by the main body case 1 via shafts 25 and 26 fixed to the left and right upper parts, respectively, with the guide bar 10 inserted through a long hole 24a provided at the lower part. It is rotatable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement (in the direction of arrows E and G in FIG. 2). Note that 27 and 28 are the shafts 25 and 2, respectively.
This is a bearing that fits into the tip of 6. 29 is a case fitted onto the shaft 25; 30 is a moderation member fitted and fixed on the shaft 25; this moderation member 30 is pressed by a spring mechanism 31 fixed on the main body case 1, and the operating lever 2 is moved as shown in FIG. When the operating lever 2 is at the position indicated by F or R, the operating lever 2 is held at the respective position. 32 is a second large gear fitted to the left end of the shaft 25; 33 is a second small gear meshed with the second large gear 32; The arm 24 is rotated by an angle whose rotation angle is always increased by a constant magnification, and together with the second large gear 32 constitutes a second speed increasing mechanism 34 that accelerates the rotation of the arm 24. . 35 is a second potentiometer, which is a second signal generator, in which a rotating shaft 35a is connected to a second small gear 33; this second potentiometer 35 rotates the operating lever 2 in the front-back direction An electric signal corresponding to the rotation of the second small gear 33, which is the output rotation of the second speed increasing mechanism 34, is output as a voltage value as shown in FIG. The voltages of the first potentiometer 23 and the second potentiometer 35 are input to a signal processing device such as a microcomputer (not shown), and the output of the signal processing device is transmitted to the left and right caterpillars of the engine. A hydraulic mechanism is operated to adjust the driving force. In addition, 36 is an adjustment plate that adjusts the rattling of the rotary shaft 4 in the front-rear direction, 37 is an adjustment plate that adjusts the rattling of the arm 24 in the left-right direction, and 38 is a knob screwed onto the upper end of the operating lever 2. It is.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained. Assuming that the engine of the bulldozer is started, in order to move forward, the operating lever 2 is rotated forward (in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 2) and set at the position indicated by F in FIG. In response to this rotation of the operating lever 2, the arm 24 is rotated rearward (in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 2), thereby causing the second
The large gear 32 is rotated, and the second speed increasing mechanism 3
The second small gear 33 of No. 4 is rotated by an angle that is a fixed magnification of the rotation angle of the second large gear 32. As a result, the rotation of the operating lever 2 and the rotation of the arm 24 are accelerated by the second speed increasing mechanism 34, and the rotation of the arm 24 is accelerated by the second speed increasing mechanism 34.
This second potentiometer 35 generates a voltage as an electric signal corresponding to the rotation of the second small gear 33, which is the output rotation of the second speed increasing mechanism 34. Therefore, even if the rotation angle of the operating lever 2 in the front-rear direction is small, the second potentiometer 35 can be rotated by a large amount, and the amount of change in the voltage generated thereby can be made sufficiently large. Therefore, the operation lever 2 from N to F position
There is no need to increase the rotation angle, and the rotation angle can be set to a relatively small rotation angle that is easy to operate. In this way, when the operating lever 2 is set to the F position, the voltage of the second potentiometer 35 is changed as shown in FIG. The hydraulic mechanism is activated to transmit forward driving force equally to both the left and right caterpillars, allowing the vehicle to travel straight.

After that, when turning left or right, the operating lever 2 is rotated from position F to the left or right (in the direction of arrow A or B in FIG. 1), respectively. This control lever 2
The rotating shaft 4 is rotated in accordance with the rotation, and the first large gear 20 and small gear 21 of the first speed increasing mechanism 22 are further rotated, and the rotation of the rotating shaft 4 is accelerated here. and is transmitted to the first potentiometer 23. Then, the first potentiometer 23 generates a voltage as an electric signal corresponding to the rotation of the first small gear 21, which is the output rotation of the first speed increasing mechanism 22. Therefore, even if the rotation angle of the operating lever 2 in the left and right direction is small, the first potentiometer 23 can be rotated greatly and the amount of change in the voltage generated thereby can be increased, and the operating lever 2 can be operated. Quantity sensitivity can be increased. In this way, the voltage generated from the first potentiometer 23 is transmitted to the hydraulic mechanism via a signal processing device (not shown), and the hydraulic mechanism is actuated in accordance with the voltage and transmitted to both the left and right caterpillars. The driving force of the engine is adjusted to make the vehicle turn left or right. After that, when the operating force on the operating lever 2 is weakened, the operating lever 2 is moved in the direction of arrow A or B by the first and second coil springs 16 and 17.
The vehicle automatically rotates in the direction of the vehicle and returns to an upright position, allowing the vehicle to drive straight again.

When moving backward, the operating lever 2 is rotated rearward (in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2) and set at the position shown by R in FIG. Then, the arm 24 and the first speed increasing mechanism 34 are rotated in the opposite direction to the forward movement described above, and the rotation of the operating lever 2 and therefore the rotation of the arm 24 is accelerated, and the second potentiometer 35 is rotated. and the second potentiometer 35
generates a voltage according to the output rotation of the second speed increasing mechanism 34. Then, the hydraulic mechanism is operated in accordance with the voltage generated by the second potentiometer 35, and driving force in the opposite direction is equally transmitted to both the left and right caterpillars, causing the vehicle to move backward. When turning left or right during this backward movement, when the operating lever 2 is rotated from the R position to the left or right, the rotary shaft 4 and the first The speed increasing mechanism rotates, and a voltage corresponding to the rotation is generated from the first potentiometer 23,
The vehicle will turn left or right.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the forward movement, backward movement, and right/left turn of the vehicle can be operated using one operating lever 2 instead of using two operating levers as in the conventional case, so that operations are simplified. Moreover, the control lever 2
The force that acts against the operation of the lever is generated only by the first and second coil springs 16 and 17, so by appropriately selecting the coil springs 16 and 17, the operating force of the operating lever 2 can be adjusted to an appropriate value. There is no need to worry about the operating force of the operating lever 2 becoming too large and tiring. Moreover, it goes without saying that the operating lever 2 can be automatically returned to the neutral position by the urging force of the first and second coil springs 16 and 17.
The operating angle of the operating lever 2 is a predetermined angle (a in Figure 1).
When the angle shown by ) is below, only the biasing force of the first coil spring 16 acts, and the biasing force of the second coil spring 17 is only applied when the predetermined angle a is exceeded. Therefore, the operating angle of the operating lever 2 can be intuitively informed to the operator by the magnitude of the operating reaction force (the reaction force applied to the operator's hand gripping the operating lever 2).
Combined with the above-mentioned effects, operability can be significantly improved. In addition, first and second speed increasing mechanisms 2 are provided that speed up the rotation of the rotary shaft 4 and the arm 24 in response to the rotation of the operating lever 2 in the left-right direction or the front-back direction.
2 and 34, it is possible to make the amount of change in the voltage generated by the first and second potentiometers 23 and 35 relatively large even with a slight rotational displacement of the operating lever 2. The rotational stroke of the lever 2 can be set to an appropriate amount, and the sensitivity to the operation of the operating lever 2 can be improved to ensure reliable operation.

Although the above embodiment describes the case where the present invention is applied to a bulldozer steering device, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to various operating devices conventionally operated by a plurality of operating levers, for example, for vertical movement of a bulldozer blade. The present invention can be widely applied to operating devices for tilting and tilting, and in particular, when applied to operating devices in which a plurality of operating levers are frequently operated at the same time, the operability thereof can be greatly improved.

As is clear from the above description, the present invention includes first and second rotating bodies that are rotated approximately at right angles to each other in response to the swinging of one operating member, and the rotation of these two rotating bodies. Since the configuration includes first and second speed increasing mechanisms that increase speed, respectively, and first and second signal generators that generate electric signals corresponding to the output rotation of both speed increasing mechanisms, 1. Two types of electric signals are simultaneously generated in response to the swinging of one operating member, and the vehicle can be operated using these electric signals, thereby simplifying the operation and optimizing the operating force. Moreover, by providing the first and second speed increasing mechanisms, the first speed increasing mechanism
Moreover, the amount of change in the electric signal generated by the second signal generator can be made relatively large, and the operation can be made more reliable, which is an excellent practical effect. Moreover, when the operating member is swung from the neutral position in the rotational direction of the first rotational body, the first
When the operating member is biased toward the neutral position by the spring and the operating member is to be swung beyond a predetermined angle in the rotational direction of the first rotating body, the first spring is biased toward the neutral position. In addition, since the second spring is configured to bias the operating member toward the neutral position, the operating member is automatically moved to the neutral position by the biasing forces of the first and second springs. Not only can the operating member be returned to its original position, but also the operating angle of the operating member can be intuitively informed to the operator by the magnitude of the operation reaction force, and the operating member can be adjusted by appropriately selecting the biasing force of both springs. It is possible to set the magnitude of the operating force to an appropriate level so as not to cause a feeling of fatigue to the operator, and the excellent effect that overall operability can be greatly improved is achieved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an overall longitudinal sectional front view, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line - in FIG. 1.
Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts, Fig. 5 a is a schematic diagram of the pattern plate, Fig. 5 b is a schematic diagram of the operation pattern, and Fig. 6 a is the horizontal rotation angle of the operating lever and its operation. Figure 6b is a diagram showing the relationship between the horizontal rotation angle of the operating lever and the output voltage, and Figure 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the horizontal rotation angle of the operating lever and the output voltage. It is a figure showing a relationship. In the figure, 2 is an operating lever (operating member), 4 is a rotating shaft (first rotating body), 16 is a first coil spring (first spring), and 17 is a second coil spring (second spring). ), 20 is the first large gear,
21 is a first small gear, 22 is a first speed increasing mechanism, 2
3 is the first potentiometer (first signal generator), 24 is the arm (second rotating body), and 32 is the second
, 33 is a second small gear, 34 is a second speed increasing mechanism, and 35 is a second potentiometer (second signal generator).

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The first member is rotated in response to the swinging of one operating member.
a rotating body and a second rotating body that is rotated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first rotating body; a first spring that urges the operating member toward the neutral position; and a first spring that cooperates with the first spring when the operating member is swung beyond a predetermined angle in the rotational direction of the first rotating body. a second spring that acts to bias the operating member toward the neutral position; a first speed-up mechanism that speeds up the rotation of the first rotating body;
a second speed increasing mechanism that speeds up the rotation of the second rotating body; a first signal generator that generates an electric signal according to the output rotation of the first speed increasing mechanism; 2
and a second signal generator that generates an electric signal according to the output rotation of the speed increasing mechanism.