JPH04269336A - Throttle controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control electrification of an electromagnetic coil in response to a detected result by detecting a relative rotational displacement between a member which interlocks to an acceleration operation mechanism and a member which interlocks to a throttle valve by means of a detector fixed to a rest part. CONSTITUTION:Leg members 70 are driven on the contact end face of a cam 54 in response to differential movement between an operation plate 60 and a plate holder 50, and the operation plate 60 is moved on an acceleration shaft 61 in response thereto. A limit switch 80 fixed to a housing 1 follows the axial movement of the operation plate 60 and is operated in response to the movement of a roller 82 since the roller 82 makes contact with the operation plate 60. When rotational displacement of the plate holder 50 in relation to the operational plate 60 grows up to more than a specified rotational angle, the operational plate 60 moves in the direction to the plate holder 50, the limit switch 80 is operated, and a connection condition between a clutch plate 40 and a rotor 30 is released.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a throttle control device installed in an internal combustion engine, and in particular controls the opening and closing of a throttle valve in response to accelerator operation using a drive source such as a motor, as well as acceleration slip control and constant speed running control. The present invention relates to a throttle control device that can perform various controls such as the following.

0002

[Prior Art] A throttle valve for an internal combustion engine controls the output of the internal combustion engine by adjusting the mixture of fuel and air in a carburetor and the amount of intake air in an electronically controlled fuel injection device. It is configured to be linked to an accelerator operation mechanism including an accelerator pedal.

Conventionally, the accelerator operating mechanism was mechanically connected to the throttle valve, but recently a device has been proposed in which a drive source such as a motor opens and closes the throttle valve in response to accelerator operation. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 55
Japanese Patent Publication No. 145867 discloses a device in which a step motor is connected to a throttle valve and the step motor is driven in accordance with the operation of an accelerator pedal.

[0004] Regarding such a device, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1983-15
No. 3945 lists examples of conventional countermeasures when the electronically controlled actuator that drives the step motor becomes uncontrollable. For example, an electromagnetic clutch disconnects the throttle shaft from an electronically controlled actuator, and a return spring returns the throttle valve to the closed position. In the same publication, countermeasures were proposed because these conventional examples do not have a drive means to open and close the throttle valve after control by the electronically controlled actuator has stopped, making it impossible to move the vehicle to a predetermined location for repair. There is.

That is, an electromagnetic clutch is interposed between the rotating shaft that rotates when the accelerator is depressed and the throttle shaft, which disconnects both shafts when energized and connects both shafts when not energized, to prevent abnormalities in the control operation of the electronically controlled actuator. A control circuit is installed that detects and drives a relay to stop power supply to the electronically controlled actuator and electromagnetic clutch.When the electronically controlled actuator becomes uncontrollable, the throttle shaft is mechanically connected to the accelerator pedal via the electromagnetic clutch. It is designed to be connected in a similar manner.

[0006] In the technique described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 153945/1983, an uncontrollable state of the electronically controlled actuator is detected by a separate control circuit, and this control circuit controls the power supply to the actuator and the electromagnetic clutch. We are planning to stop it. It is also described that after the control is stopped, the rotating shaft mechanically connected to the accelerator pedal and the throttle shaft are coupled via an electromagnetic clutch. The electromagnetic clutch used in such conventional technology is large in size due to its structure, and the cost is also high. Moreover, it is not impossible to say that there are cases where not only the electronic control actuator cannot be controlled but also the control circuit becomes inoperable, and the throttle valve may continue to be driven toward the open side due to, for example, radio wave interference. In such a case, even if a separate switch means is provided to stop the power supply to the electromagnetic clutch and connect the throttle shaft to the accelerator pedal, the throttle valve will close against the throttle shaft driven by the actuator. There is no means to act on the side, making it difficult to secure the desired throttle opening.

For this reason, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-204642 discloses that when it is detected that the accelerator operation has stopped and that the throttle opening exceeds a predetermined throttle opening at that time, the driving means is reliably switched to the throttle valve. A throttle control device has been proposed that can be separated from the engine and stop throttle control by the drive source.

[0008]

[Problem to be solved by the invention] The above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-204
The limit switch shown as an example of the detection means in the throttle control device described in Publication No. 642 is a sliding switch that comes into contact with the outer peripheral end surfaces of both the throttle plate that is interlocked with the throttle valve and the accelerator plate that is interlocked with the accelerator operation mechanism. It is configured to turn on and off according to the operation of the moving member. Thereby, the limit switch can be set to be turned on or off depending on a predetermined relative rotational displacement between the accelerator plate and the throttle plate.

However, it is necessary to adjust the operating point of the limit switch to a predetermined rotation angle of each of the accelerator plate and the throttle plate, which makes the adjustment work difficult and takes a long time. According to the embodiment using two limit switches, each plate can be adjusted individually, making the work easier, but the amount of work increases accordingly, and the cost increases due to the increase in the number of limit switches.

On the other hand, if the accelerator plate and the throttle plate are arranged coaxially and facing each other, and a limit switch is fixed to one and a cam is provided to the other, the relative rotation between the two can be controlled by one limit switch. It is possible to detect whether the displacement exceeds a predetermined rotation angle. However, in this case, since the limit switch is fixed to the rotating part, it is difficult to supply power to the limit switch, and it is necessary to devise wiring to avoid disconnection.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a throttle control device that performs throttle control using a drive source, and uses a detector fixed to a stationary part to measure the relative rotational displacement between a member interlocking with an accelerator operating mechanism and a member interlocking with a throttle valve. It is an object of the present invention to provide a throttle control device that performs detection and controls energization of an electromagnetic coil according to the detection result.

0012

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes an accelerator operating mechanism, a drive source that outputs a driving force in accordance with at least the amount of operation of the accelerator operating mechanism,
A throttle shaft that fixes a throttle valve of an internal combustion engine, rotatably supports it in a housing, and has at least one end extending from the housing, a support member that is fixed to the extending end of the throttle shaft, and the support member and a rotating body of a magnetic material that restricts axial movement at a predetermined position on the throttle shaft between the housing and the rotating body and is rotatably supported on the throttle shaft, and the rotating body and the supporting member. a movable member made of a magnetic material that supports the throttle shaft so as to be movable in the axial direction of the throttle shaft; a connecting member that joins the movable member and the support member and biases the movable member in the direction of the support member; An electromagnetic coil is fixed to the housing at a position facing the rotating body, and when excited, attracts and couples the movable member to the rotating body to form a connected state, and the electromagnetic coil is rotatably supported on the housing coaxially with the throttle shaft. accelerator shaft and
The accelerator shaft is unrotatable and movably supported to a position facing the support member with a predetermined gap therebetween, and is connected to the accelerator operating mechanism and is rotatable in accordance with the operation of the accelerator operating mechanism. an operating member that urges the operating member toward the supporting member; and a biasing means that is provided on one of mutually opposing surfaces of the operating member and the supporting member, the axis of the throttle shaft being a cam having a central annular contact end surface; and a leg of a predetermined length having one end abutting the contact end surface of the cam and the other end fixed to the other of the mutually opposing surfaces of the operating member and the support member. and a detector that is fixed to the housing and abuts on the other surface, and that is activated in accordance with the movement of the contact, and that connects the rotary body to the drive source and detects the drive. The rotating body is rotated by the driving force of a power source, and energization to the electromagnetic coil is controlled via the detector.

[0013]

[Operation] In the throttle control device configured as described above, during normal accelerator control, the electromagnetic coil is energized and the movable member is attracted and coupled to the rotating body. As a result, the driving force of the drive source is transmitted to the support member via the rotating body and the movable member, and the throttle shaft is rotated. The driving force of the drive source is controlled based on the target throttle opening corresponding to the operation amount of the accelerator operating mechanism, and the opening and closing of the throttle valve is controlled by this driving force, thereby adjusting the throttle opening.

At this time, the operating member rotates about the accelerator shaft in response to the operation of the accelerator operating mechanism. Since this operating member is biased toward the support member by the biasing means, the leg member is pressed against the contact end surface of the cam. Then, in accordance with the relative rotation or differential movement between the operating member and the support member, the leg members follow on the contact end surface of the cam, and in response, the operating member moves on the accelerator shaft. On the other hand, since the contact of the detector is in contact with either the surface of the support member or the operating member, the detector follows the movement of the operating member in the axial direction, and the detector is activated in accordance with the movement of the contact.

[0015] For example, when the rotational displacement of the support member with respect to the operation member exceeds a predetermined rotation angle, the operation member moves toward the support member and the detector is activated. The activation of this detector stops the energization of the electromagnetic coil, and the state of connection between the movable member and the rotating body is released. Note that the operating point of this detector can be adjusted by adjusting the initial position of the accelerator shaft.

[0016]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a throttle valve 11 is housed in a housing 1 that forms an intake passage of an internal combustion engine. The throttle valve 11 is fixed to a throttle shaft 12, and the throttle shaft 12 is rotatably supported by the housing 1. One end portion of the throttle shaft 12 extends from the housing 1, and the extending portion 12
A case 2 is integrally formed on the side surface of the housing 1 around a, a cover 3 is joined to this case 2, and the main parts of the parts constituting the throttle control device of this embodiment are contained in the chamber defined by these. is accommodated. Further, a cylindrical support 4 is formed integrally with the housing 1 on the side surface of the housing 1 opposite to the case 2, on which the other end of the throttle shaft 12 is supported, and a return spring (not shown) is attached to this. A return spring is housed;
The throttle shaft 12 is biased toward the fully closed position of the throttle valve 11.

A throttle sensor 13 is connected to the tip of the throttle shaft 12. This throttle sensor 13 converts the rotational displacement of the throttle shaft 12 into an electric signal, and its structure is well known, so a description thereof will be omitted. The throttle sensor 13 outputs, for example, an idle switch signal indicating the fully closed position of the throttle valve 11 and a throttle opening signal corresponding to the opening degree of the throttle valve 11 to the controller 100.

Extending portion 12 of the throttle shaft 12
An electromagnetic coil 20 is fixed to the side surface of the housing 1 so as to surround the base of the housing 1. As is clear from FIGS. 2 and 3, the electromagnetic coil 20 includes a yoke 21 made of a magnetic material and a coil 23 wound around a bobbin 22 made of resin. The yoke 21 has a cylindrical body part 21a in the center, and this cylindrical body part 21
An annular bottomed hollow part is formed around a, and the bobbin 22 and the coil 23 are accommodated in this hollow part. The bottom part of the yoke 21 is fixed to the side surface of the housing 1, and the extending part 12a of the throttle shaft 12 passes through the cylindrical part 21a.

[0019] Furthermore, the extending portion 1 of the throttle shaft 12
A magnetic rotor 30, which is a rotating body according to the present invention, is rotatably supported on 2a. This rotor 30 is the yoke 2
1, and is held so as not to move in the axial direction. The rotor 30 is made of sintered iron-based material and has a shaft portion 31 supported by the throttle shaft 12.
and a cylindrical body part 32 are connected via an arm part 33. Then, the outer surface of the yoke 21 is connected to the rotor 3.
The rotor 30 is surrounded by a cylindrical body part 32 of
are fitted to the cylindrical body portion 21a of the yoke 21 with a predetermined gap in a state where they overlap in the axial direction. This results in
Magnetic loss in the gap between the yoke 21 and the rotor 30 is suppressed, and a predetermined magnetic permeance is ensured.

Bevel teeth 34 are integrally formed on the outer circumferential side of the cylindrical body portion 32 of the rotor 30, and the flat portion of the axial end surface adjacent to the bevel teeth 34 has radial grooves as shown in FIG. The chevron-shaped pawls 35 having a triangular cross section are continuously arranged over the entire circumference and are formed in a wavy shape.

Further, a clutch plate 40, which is a movable member according to the present invention, is supported on the throttle shaft 12 so as to be movable in the axial direction so as to face the rotor 30. The clutch plate 40 is a disk-shaped magnetic material, and has chevron-shaped pawls 41 with a triangular cross section that extend radially, similar to the pawls 35, on a flat surface facing the pawls 35 formed on the flat surface of the rotor 30. ing. The pawl 41 can be formed by cutting or electrical discharge machining the end face of the clutch plate 40, but it can also be formed by press working.

Pins 42 and 43 are implanted at symmetrical positions with respect to the axis on the opposite surface of the clutch plate 40 to the surface on which the claws 41 are formed. Further, one end of a plate spring 45, which is a connecting member of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, is fixed to this surface with a pin (not shown), and the other end is fixed to a plate holder 50 (described later) with a pin (not shown). . In FIG. 3, the leaf spring 45 is shown by a two-dot chain coil spring for easy understanding. Therefore, clutch plate 4
0 is connected to a plate holder 50 via a leaf spring 45. In addition, a pin for fixing this leaf spring 45 (not shown)
A pin 42 that extends and is implanted in the clutch plate 40,
If it is shared with 43, the number of parts can be reduced.

A plate holder 50, which is a supporting member according to the present invention, is fixed to the tip of the extending portion 12a of the throttle shaft 12. The plate holder 50 is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, a cylindrical cam 54 is formed extending in the axial direction on the outer periphery of a disc-shaped plate, and an oval-shaped hole 51 is bored in the center of the cylindrical cam 54. The cam 54 is a so-called end cam, and a contact end surface 55 having a step in the circumferential direction is formed at the axial end. The tip of the extending portion 12a of the throttle shaft 12 is formed to have the same cross section as the hole 51, so when the tip of the extending portion 12a is fitted into the hole 51, the plate holder 50 rotates around the throttle shaft 12. It becomes impossible. The oval-shaped cross section at the tip of the throttle shaft 12 has approximately the same length as the thickness of the plate portion of the plate holder 50, and by screwing a nut (or bolt) 14 onto the tip surface, the plate holder 50 becomes the throttle shaft. It is held between the boundary step between the 12 oval-shaped cross sections and the general cross section and the nut (or bolt) 14. Note that the cross-sectional shape of the hole 51 of the plate holder 50 and the tip of the extending portion 12a may be, for example, D-shaped, and in short, any shape that can prevent rotation may be used.

The plate holder 50 has holes 52 and 53 through which the pins 42 and 43 pass through the plate portion, and holes (not shown) for caulking the leaf spring 45.
is drilled. When the plate holder 50 is fixed to the throttle shaft 12, it is in the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the tips of the pins 42 and 43 protruding from the holes 52 and 53 of the plate holder 50, respectively.

Furthermore, an operation plate 60, which is an operation member according to the present invention, is disposed so as to face the plate holder 50. The operation plate 60 has an oval-shaped hole 6 in the center.
0a is bored, and the accelerator shaft 61 having a shaft portion 61b having the same cross-sectional shape as the hole 60a is inserted into the hole 60a.
is mated to. Therefore, although the operation plate 60 cannot rotate relative to the accelerator shaft 61, it is supported so as to be movable in the axial direction. An enlarged diameter portion 6 is provided at the end of the accelerator shaft 61 facing the throttle shaft 12.
1a is formed, and the operating plate 60 is configured to come into contact with this enlarged diameter portion 61a. Further, a coil spring 66 is disposed around the accelerator shaft 61 between the operating plate 60 and the cover 3, and urges the operating plate 60 toward the plate holder 50. The accelerator shaft 61 is rotatably supported by the cover 3, so the operation plate 60 can rotate together with the accelerator shaft 61.

At the outer edge of the operation plate 60, there are pins 42,
Engagement holes 62 and 63 are formed at positions overlapping with 43. As shown in FIG. 3, these engagement holes 62 and 63 are circular arc-shaped long holes having a predetermined length in the circumferential direction and are bored at positions facing the pins 42 and 43, and are opposite to each other in the circumferential direction. radial direction end surfaces 62a, 62b and 63a, 63b
is formed. Therefore, regardless of the relative movement between the clutch plate 40 and the operating plate 60, the pin 42,
43 are configured to be fitted into the engagement holes 62 and 63, respectively. And end surfaces 62a, 62b and 63a,
63b is the operation plate 60 when the electromagnetic coil 20 is not energized.
They are in a positional relationship that allows them to abut against the side surfaces of the pins 42 and 43 as the pins rotate.

The other end of the accelerator shaft 61 is connected to the accelerator plate 5 shown in FIG. has been done. The other end of the accelerator cable 6 is connected to an accelerator pedal 7, forming an accelerator operating mechanism in which an operating plate 60 rotates around the axis of an accelerator shaft 61 in response to the operation of the accelerator pedal 7. The accelerator pedal 7 is provided with a well-known accelerator sensor 8 that detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 7 and outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of accelerator operation to the controller 100. Note that the accelerator sensor 8 may be arranged so as to be interlocked with the accelerator shaft 61.

[0028] The operation plate 60 is provided with leg members 70.
is fixed. The leg member 70 has a roller 71 at its tip, and this roller 71 is arranged so as to come into contact with the contact end surface 55 of the cam 54, and the operating plate 60 is biased toward the plate holder 50 by a coil spring 66. Therefore, the roller 71 is pressed against the contact end surface 55. Therefore, the plate holder 50 and the operation plate 60
According to the relative rotation, that is, the differential movement between the roller 71 and the cam 5,
4, thereby causing the operating plate 60 to move on the accelerator shaft 61.

Further, a limit switch 80 which is a detector according to the present invention is fixed to the case 2 which is a part of the housing 1 of the stationary part, and a roller 82 which is a contact provided at the tip of an arm 81 of the limit switch 80 is fixed. is arranged so as to come into contact with the surface of the operation plate 60 facing the plate holder 50, and is urged in the direction of the operation plate 60. Therefore, as the operation plate 60 moves, the limit switch 80
Opposing contacts (not shown) within the contact or separate contact points. The limit switch 80 is fixed, for example, to a bracket having an elongated hole (not shown), and a screw (not shown) is screwed onto the case 2 through the elongated hole, so that the limit switch 80 is fixed so that its mounting position with respect to the operation plate 60 can be adjusted. . It should be noted that the configuration of the limit switch 80 is well known, so a description thereof will be omitted.

The limit switch 80 is configured to turn on and off in accordance with the relative rotational displacement between the plate holder 50 and the operating plate 60. That is, the shape of the cam 54 is as shown in FIG. 3, and as schematically shown in FIG. 7, the rotation angle of the plate holder 50 with respect to the operation plate 60 is within a predetermined range.
In this state, the limit switch 80 is on. On the other hand, when the plate holder 50 rotates beyond a predetermined rotation angle with respect to the operation plate 60, the relationship as shown in FIG. 6 is established, and the limit switch 80 is turned off. The operating point of the limit switch 80 can be easily adjusted even after assembly by adjusting the mounting position of the accelerator shaft 61 with respect to the cover 3. Note that the cam 54 is a separate member from the plate holder 50,
These may be configured to be joined. Also, cam 5
4 may be provided on the operation plate 60 and the leg members 70 may be fixed to the plate holder 50.

A motor 90, which is a drive source according to the present invention, is fixed to the cover 3, and its rotation axis is connected to the throttle shaft 1.
2, and is rotatably supported in a direction substantially perpendicular to 2. A bevel gear 91 is fixed to the tip of the rotating shaft of the motor 90, and meshes with the bevel teeth 34 on the outer periphery of the rotor 30. In this embodiment, a step motor is used as the motor 90, and its drive is controlled by a controller 100. Furthermore, the motor 90
Other types of motors may also be used, such as DC motors.

When the motor 90 is driven to rotate and the bevel gear 91 rotates, the rotor 30 having the bevel teeth 34 meshing therewith rotates around the throttle shaft 12. At this time, if the electromagnetic coil 20 is in a non-energized state, the clutch plate 40 is moved around the rotor 3 by the biasing force of the leaf spring 45.
0 and is held at a position close to the plate holder 50 side. That is, in this case, the clutch plate 4
0, the plate holder 50 and the throttle valve 11 are in a state where they can freely rotate around the throttle shaft 12 independently of the rotor 30. At this time, the pins 42 and 43 implanted in the clutch plate 40 are located between the end faces 62a and 62b and between the end faces 63a and 63b of the engagement holes 62 and 63 of the operation plate 60, respectively.

When the electromagnetic coil 20 is energized, the yoke 2
1. A closed magnetic path is formed by the rotor 30 and the clutch plate 40, and the clutch plate 40 is attracted toward the rotor 30 by electromagnetic force against the urging force of the leaf spring 45, and the pawl 35 of the rotor 30 and the pawl 41 of the clutch plate 40 are attracted. mesh together. That is, as shown in FIG.
and the rotor 30 are brought into engagement, and both can rotate together. As a result, the drive control amount of the motor 90 is transmitted from the bevel gear 91 to the rotor 30 via the bevel teeth 34 of the rotor 30, and via the pawl 35 of the rotor 30 and the pawl 41 of the clutch plate 40 to the clutch plate 40.
0, further via the leaf spring 45, and the pin 42,
43 and holes 52 and 53, the plate holder 50
This is transmitted to the throttle shaft 12 which rotates together with the throttle shaft 12, and the opening degree of the throttle valve 11 is controlled in accordance with the drive control amount. At this time,
The pins 42 and 43 are attached to the rotor 3 together with the clutch plate 40.
0 direction, and engage the engagement holes 62 and 62 of the operation plate 60, respectively.
Since it is outside between the end surfaces 62a and 62b of 63 and between 63a and 63b, it is unrelated to the rotation of the operation plate 60.

When the electromagnetic coil 20 is de-energized while the throttle valve 11 is in the open state, the engagement between the pawl 41 of the clutch plate 40 and the pawl 35 of the rotor 30 is released, and the support 4 The throttle valve 11 is brought into a fully closed state by the biasing force of a return spring (not shown) inside. The pins 42 and 43 are connected between the end surfaces 62a and 62b of the engagement holes 62 and 63 of the operation plate 60 and between the end surfaces 63a and 63.
When the operation plate 60 is rotated, the end surfaces 62a and 63a touch the pins 42 and 43, respectively.
The clutch plate 40 is driven. Thus, the throttle valve 11 is directly driven to open and close by operating the accelerator pedal 7 from the fully closed position to the fully open position.

The controller 100 is a control circuit including a microcomputer, is mounted on a vehicle, and receives detection signals from various sensors as shown in FIG.
Various controls including drive control of the motor 90 are performed. In this embodiment, the controller 100 is configured to perform various controls such as constant speed running control, acceleration slip control, etc. in addition to normal control in response to accelerator operation.

In FIG. 4, the controller 100 includes a microcomputer 110 and an input processing circuit 120 and an output processing circuit 130 connected to the microcomputer 110.
0 and the electromagnetic coil 20 are connected to the output processing circuit 130. Controller 100 is connected to power supply +B via ignition switch 101. Note that the power supply opening/closing means of the controller 100 may be a transistor, a relay, or another switching element that becomes conductive when the ignition switch 101 is turned on.

The accelerator sensor 8 is connected to the input processing circuit 120 and outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 7, which is input to the input processing circuit 120 together with the output signal of the throttle sensor 13. controller 100
In this case, the electromagnetic coil 20 is turned on and off according to the operating conditions, and the opening of the throttle valve 11, that is, the throttle opening, is set according to the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 7, that is, the amount of accelerator operation, and various control conditions. The drive control of the motor 90 is performed so that the following is obtained.

A constant speed running control switch 121 (hereinafter simply referred to as constant speed running switch 121) is connected to the input processing circuit 120. This constant speed running switch 121
consists of a main switch MS that turns on and off the power of the entire constant speed cruise control system and a control switch CS that performs various controls.The latter is composed of a plurality of switch groups as shown in Fig. 4 and performs various well-known switch functions. We are prepared. First, while the vehicle is running, when the main switch MS is turned on and the set switch ST in the control switch CS is turned on for a short time, the vehicle speed at that time is memorized and maintained as described later. The acceleration switch AC finely adjusts the set vehicle speed, and speed increase control is performed while this switch is in the on state. Fine adjustment on the deceleration side can be made by holding the set switch ST in the on state, or by depressing the brake pedal to cancel constant speed driving control, and then turning on the set switch ST for a short time when the vehicle has decelerated to a predetermined speed. The vehicle speed will be reset to the current speed. The cancel switch CA is a switch for canceling constant speed driving control, and when a brake pedal (not shown) is operated, it is automatically turned on and constant speed driving control is canceled. In addition to operating the brake pedal, the means to cancel constant speed driving control include shifting to the neutral position in the case of an automatic transmission, operating the parking brake,
This includes turning off the main switch MS, etc. The resume switch RS is a switch for returning the vehicle speed to the preset vehicle speed before the constant speed cruise control is canceled after the constant speed cruise control is canceled by these operations.

The wheel speed sensor 122 is used for constant speed running control, acceleration slip control, etc., and a well-known electromagnetic pickup sensor or Hall sensor is used. still,
Although there is only one in the figure, it can be attached to each wheel as necessary. Further, an ignition circuit unit, commonly called an igniter 123, is connected to the controller 100, and an ignition signal is input thereto to detect the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine. The transmission controller 124 is a control device that controls an automatic transmission, and a shift signal and a timing signal outputted here are supplied to the controller 100.

The mode selector switch 125 stores in the microcomputer 110 maps preset in accordance with various driving modes regarding the correspondence between the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 7 and the opening degree of the throttle valve 11.
This is selected appropriately to set the opening degree of the throttle valve 11 according to the operating mode. As this driving mode, for example, a mode such as power or economy, highway driving or city driving can be set. When the driver does not like acceleration slip control, the acceleration slip control prohibition switch 126 is operated to output a signal to the microcomputer 110 to prohibit the acceleration slip control. The steering sensor 127 determines whether or not the steering wheel is being steered when performing acceleration slip control, for example, and can set a target slip rate in accordance with the determination result. Furthermore, a starter circuit 128 that drives and controls a starter motor (not shown) is connected to the input processing circuit 120, and when performing an initial check to see if the throttle control device is functioning normally, it is checked by actually opening and closing the throttle valve 11. The starter motor will be inactive until this happens. This makes it possible to avoid overspeeding of the engine during the initial check of the throttle control device.

The switching transistor Tr1 in the output processing circuit 130 mainly controls the electromagnetic coil 2 during constant speed running control.
This controls the energization to brake switch SW1.
It is connected to the electromagnetic coil 20 via a first energizing circuit. As a result, the switching transistor Tr1 is turned on during constant speed running control, and the electromagnetic coil 20 is energized. Also, the switching transistor T
r2 also controls the energization of the electromagnetic coil 20, and is connected to the electromagnetic coil 20 via the limit switch 80.
A second energizing circuit is configured. This switching transistor Tr2 is configured to be kept in the on state while the throttle control device is operating normally.

The operation of the embodiment configured as above will be explained. The flowchart in FIG. 5 shows the overall operation of the throttle control device of this embodiment. In the controller 100, initialization is performed in step S1,
In step S2, the various input signals described above to the input processing circuit 120 are processed, and the process proceeds to step S3, where a control mode is selected in accordance with these input signals. That is, steps S4 to S
8 is selected.

When the controls in steps S4 to S6 are performed, torque control and cornering control are performed in steps S9 and S10. The former performs throttle control to reduce the shock during gear shifting, and the latter performs throttle control in accordance with the steering angle (not shown), but since they are not directly related to this embodiment, their explanation will be omitted. Note that the idle speed control in step S7 is to maintain the idle speed at a constant value even if the engine state changes, and step S8 performs post-processing after turning off the ignition switch 101. It is something. After a self-diagnosis is performed by the diagnosis means in step S11 and a fail process is performed, output processing is performed in step S12, and the electromagnetic coil 20 and motor 90 are driven via the output processing circuit 130. Thus, the above-described routine is repeated at predetermined intervals.

Next, in the above-mentioned overall operation, step S4
The operation during normal accelerator control will be explained. When the accelerator pedal 7 is not operated, that is, when the throttle valve 11 is fully closed,
Due to the urging force of the leaf spring 45, the clutch plate 40 is located on the plate holder 50 side and separated from the rotor 30. In the diagnosis control of step S11 described above, when it is determined that there is some abnormality in the device,
Both switching transistors Tr1 and Tr2 are turned off, and the electromagnetic coil 20 is not energized. If there is no abnormality in the device, the switching transistor Tr2 is turned on, and if the limit switch 80 is in the on state, the second switching transistor Tr2 is turned on.
The electromagnetic coil 20 is now energized via the energizing circuit.

When the electromagnetic coil 20 is energized and the yoke 21 and rotor 30 shown in FIG. 2 are excited, the clutch plate 40 is attracted to the rotor 30 and the claws 35 and 41 are engaged. Thus, a state is reached in which the driving force of the motor 90 can be transmitted to the throttle shaft 12. At this time, pin 42
, 43 are moving in the direction of the rotor 30 together with the clutch plate 40, so the engagement holes 62, 6 of the operation plate 60
It does not engage with 3. Thereafter, the throttle shaft 12 will be rotationally driven by the motor 90 unless an abnormal condition described below occurs, and therefore the opening degree of the throttle valve 11 will be controlled by the control of the motor 90 in the controller 100.

That is, during normal accelerator control, when the accelerator pedal 7 is depressed, an output corresponding to the amount of operation is input from the accelerator sensor 8 to the controller 100, and a target throttle opening degree corresponding to the amount of accelerator operation is inputted here. is set. When the motor 90 is driven and the throttle shaft 12 rotates, a signal corresponding to the rotation angle is output from the throttle sensor 13 to the controller 100, and the controller controls the throttle valve 11 so that it becomes approximately equal to the target throttle opening. The motor 90 is driven and controlled by the motor 100 . Thus, throttle control is performed in accordance with the operating amount of the accelerator pedal 7, and engine output is obtained in accordance with the opening degree of the throttle valve 11.

In this way, there is no mechanical connection between the accelerator pedal 7 and the throttle valve 11, and smooth starting and running can be ensured in accordance with the operation of the accelerator pedal 7. Then, when the operation of the accelerator pedal 7 is released, the throttle valve 11 is brought into a fully closed state by the biasing force of a return spring (not shown) in the support 4 and the driving force of the motor 90.

During normal accelerator control in step S4, if the throttle valve 11 operates abnormally and the plate holder 50 rotates beyond a predetermined rotation angle relative to the operating plate 60, the operating plate 60 rotates as shown in FIG. It moves until it comes into contact with the enlarged diameter portion 61a of the accelerator shaft 61, and the limit switch 80 is turned off. Therefore, abnormal operation of the throttle valve 11 can be detected by the limit switch 80 at any throttle opening. During the normal accelerator control, the switching transistor Tr1 is off, so both the first and second energizing circuits are cut off, and the electromagnetic coil 20 is no longer energized. Therefore, rotor 3
0 and the clutch plate 40 are separated, and the throttle valve 11 is returned to its initial position by a return spring within the support 4. Further, the drive of the rotor 30 by the motor 90 is also stopped.

In the above case, since the clutch plate 40 moves toward the plate holder 50, the pin 42
, 43 are located between the end surfaces 62a, 62b and between 63a, 63b of the engagement holes 62, 63 of the operation plate 60, respectively. Therefore, by depressing the accelerator pedal 7 to a predetermined operating amount or more, the operating plate 60 rotates and the end surfaces 62a, 63a contact the pins 42, 43, respectively, and from then on, the operating force of the accelerator pedal 7 by the driver is transferred to the throttle shaft. 12 and can open the throttle valve 11 to its fully open position.

Next, the operation during constant speed running control in step S5 will be explained. While the vehicle is running, turn on the main switch MS in Figure 4 and then turn on the set switch ST.
A drive signal is output from the microcomputer 110,
The switching transistor Tr1 is turned on, the electromagnetic coil 20 is energized through the first energizing circuit, and the clutch plate 40 is attracted and coupled to the rotor 30 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Note that at this time, since the brake pedal (not shown) is not operated, the brake switch SW1 is maintained in the on state.

Then, a target throttle opening is set according to the difference between the vehicle speed detected by the wheel speed sensor 122 and the vehicle speed set by the set switch ST, and the motor 90 drives the throttle valve 11 to the target throttle opening. controlled. When overtaking acceleration, etc. is required while driving at a constant speed, the accelerator pedal 7 is depressed, and the throttle opening corresponding to the accelerator operation amount in the normal accelerator control mode exceeds the target throttle opening when the constant speed driving control is set. mode, and this target throttle opening degree is replaced with the opening degree set in the normal accelerator control mode.

To cancel the constant speed running control, the driver operates the cancel switch CA of the control switch CS in FIG. 4, or operates the normally closed switch SC1 to turn off the main switch MS. 110, the switching transistor Tr
1 is turned off, and the first energizing circuit to the electromagnetic coil 20 is cut off. The same applies even if the ignition switch 101 is turned off. Also, when a brake pedal (not shown) is operated, the brake switch SW1 is turned off and the first energizing circuit to the electromagnetic coil 20 is cut off. Therefore, even if the switching transistor Tr1 is short-circuited during constant speed driving control, operating the brake pedal will turn off the brake switch SW1, and the first energizing circuit to the electromagnetic coil 20 will be cut off. Thereafter, the electromagnetic coil 20 is energized via the second energizing circuit of the switching transistor Tr2 and the limit switch 80, and the throttle control in the normal accelerator control mode described above is performed.

In the acceleration slip control in step S6, when the controller 100 detects a slip of the drive wheels (not shown) at the time of starting or accelerating based on the output signal of the wheel speed sensor 122 shown in FIG. The mode then shifts to the acceleration slip control mode, and the opening degree of the throttle valve 11 is controlled as follows.

That is, the controller 100 calculates the slip ratio of the driving wheels that will provide sufficient tractive force and lateral resistance on the road surface, and further calculates the target throttle opening degree to ensure this. Then, the motor 90 is operated so that the throttle valve 11 reaches this target throttle opening.
is controlled. When the slip rate becomes less than a predetermined value and the target throttle opening becomes equal to or greater than the throttle opening set in the normal accelerator control mode, the acceleration slip control mode ends and the normal accelerator control mode returns.

In this case, as mentioned above, the operation plate 60 does not engage with the pins 42 and 43 under normal conditions, so even if the accelerator pedal 7 is depressed by more than a predetermined amount, the throttle opening cannot be controlled by the motor 90. However, no mechanical interference occurs. Therefore, for example, when acceleration slip occurs on a road surface with a low friction coefficient and the transition is made to acceleration slip control, the throttle valve 11 can be fully closed by the motor 90 even if the driver depresses the accelerator pedal 7 greatly. It is possible to perform acceleration slip control during the period of acceleration and ensure stable driving.

[0056]

[Effects of the Invention] Since the present invention is constructed as described above, it has the following effects. That is, according to the throttle control device of the present invention, during normal driving, the throttle opening is adjusted by the drive source regardless of the accelerator operation mechanism, so that it is possible to ensure smooth starting and running in accordance with the accelerator operation, and Various controls such as acceleration slip control and constant speed running control can be easily performed. Furthermore, it is equipped with a detector used to control the energization of the electromagnetic coil, and can detect abnormal operation of the throttle valve with a simple configuration. In particular, the detector can detect the relative rotational displacement between the operating member and the support member at any throttle opening and detect abnormal operation of the throttle valve, making it easy to respond to abnormalities. .

Furthermore, abnormal operation can be detected with fewer parts than in the prior art, and since the detector is fixed to the housing of the stationary part, wiring is easy. Furthermore, the operating point of the detector can be easily adjusted even after assembly by adjusting the initial position of the accelerator shaft.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a throttle control device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of the throttle control device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the throttle control device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an overall configuration diagram of a controller and an input/output device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the overall operation in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partially sectional front view of some parts for explaining the operation of the detector in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partially sectional front view of some parts for explaining the operation of a detector in an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Housing 7 Accelerator pedal 8 Accelerator sensor 11 Throttle valve 12 Throttle shaft 13 Throttle sensor 20 Electromagnetic coil, 21 Yoke, 23
Coil 30 Rotor (rotating body) 34 Bevel tooth 35 Pawl 40 Clutch plate (movable member) 41 Pawl 42 Pin 45 Leaf spring (connection member) 50 Plate holder (supporting member) 54 Cam 55 Contact end surface 60 Operation plate (operation member) 61 Accelerator shafts 62, 63 Engagement hole 70 Leg member 80 Limit switch (detector) 81 Arm, 82 Roller (contact) 90
Motor (drive source) 100 Controller

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An accelerator operating mechanism, a drive source that outputs a driving force in accordance with at least the amount of operation of the accelerator operating mechanism, a throttle valve of an internal combustion engine fixed and rotatably supported in a housing, and at least a throttle shaft having one end extending from the housing; a support member fixed to the extending end of the throttle shaft; and a support member fixed to the extending end of the throttle shaft; A rotary body of a magnetic body that restricts movement and is rotatably supported on the throttle shaft, and a movable magnetic body that is supported so as to be movable in the axial direction of the throttle shaft between the rotary body and the support member. a connecting member that joins the movable member and the supporting member and urges the movable member in the direction of the supporting member; a connecting member that is fixed to the housing at a position facing the rotary body and that connects the movable member when excited; an electromagnetic coil that is suction-coupled to the rotating body side to form a connected state; an accelerator shaft that is rotatably supported by the housing coaxially with the throttle shaft; an operating member that is supported movably to opposing positions across a gap, is connected to the accelerator operating mechanism, and is rotatable in accordance with the operation of the accelerator operating mechanism;
urging means for urging the operating member toward the supporting member;
a cam provided on one of the mutually opposing surfaces of the operating member and the support member, the cam having an annular contact end surface centered on the axis of the throttle shaft; and one end abutting the contact end surface of the cam. a leg member having a predetermined length, the other end of which is fixed to the other of the mutually opposing surfaces of the operating member and the supporting member; and a contact member that is fixed to the housing and abuts the other surface; a detector that operates according to the movement of the contact; the rotating body is connected to the driving source, and the rotating body is rotated by the driving force of the driving source, and the electromagnetic A throttle control device characterized by controlling energization to a coil.