JPH04314629A - Constant speed running device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a constant speed running device for vehicle capable of judging a failure of switch in a stop switch operated by the operation of a brake pedal and a cruise switch. CONSTITUTION:A brake switch device consisting of a stop switch for detecting the operation of a brake pedal and controlling the lighting of a brake lamp and a release switch for releasing constant speed running control is provided. The stop switch is normally opened and set in such a manner as to be closed by a determined first stroke amount L1 of the brake pedal. The release switch is normally closed and set in such a manner as to be opened by a determined second stroke amount L2. When the state where the state (simultaneous closed state) of both the switches being simultaneously closed is continued for a first determined time is continued in a determined frequency, a failure of switch is judged, and when the deceleration is small at the time of establishing the simultaneous closed state of both the switches, the simultaneous closed state is continued for a second determined time or more, or the vehicle speed is zero at the time of establishing the simultaneous closed state, counting of the frequency of the simultaneous closed state is prohibited.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a constant speed running system for a vehicle that automatically adjusts the speed of the vehicle so that the vehicle runs at a constant speed.

0002

[Background Art] Conventionally, when driving on a road (for example, an expressway) where the vehicle can travel long distances at a constant speed, the vehicle automatically adjusts the speed of the vehicle so that the vehicle can travel at a constant speed. Constant speed traveling devices are known, for example,
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-49537 discloses that an automatic transmission with a lock-up clutch is used to control vehicle speed (or rotational speed output).
and an automatic shift control means that controls the gear position according to the engine load (or throttle opening), a constant speed running control means that controls to support a predetermined set vehicle speed by controlling the throttle opening, and an automatic shift control means. A constant speed traveling device for a vehicle is disclosed that selectively controls the and constant speed traveling control means, and releases the lockup when the vehicle speed deviation becomes large when both control means are in the control state.

[0003] In such a constant speed driving device for a vehicle, constant speed driving control is started by a manual switch, but
The means for canceling the constant speed driving control is generally operated by depressing the brake pedal together with a stop switch having a normally open stop contact that flashes a stop lamp, and a cruise switch having a normally closed cruise contact. The stop switch is turned on when the brake pedal is pressed halfway, and the cruise switch is turned off when the brake pedal is pressed even further.

0004

However, in the above-mentioned conventional constant speed traveling device for a vehicle, the cruise switch and the stop switch are turned on and off by moving one operating rod in one direction. The cruise switch's cruise contact (normally closed) turns off at the same time as the stop switch's stop contact (normally open) turns on, canceling (cancelling) constant speed driving control. Due to variations in the switching points of the switch, the cruise switch may not turn off even when the stop switch is on.
If both switches remain on at the same time for a specified period of time, it is determined that the switch is malfunctioning.
Even when the occupants have no intention of decelerating, or in other words, operating the brakes, there are cases where the driver keeps his or her foot on the brake pedal at all times, especially in AT cars, and even in such cases, it is determined that the switch is malfunctioning. There was a problem with this.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a constant speed driving device for a vehicle that can determine whether a stop switch or a cruise switch that is operated by pressing the brake pedal is in a non-faulty state or a faulty state. It is to be.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The constant speed traveling device for a vehicle of the present invention detects the operation of the brake pedal and has a stop switch that controls the lighting of the brake lamp and cancels the constant speed traveling (auto cruise) control. In a constant speed traveling device equipped with a brake switch device consisting of a release switch,
The stop switch is a normally open contact and is set to close at the predetermined first stroke amount of the brake pedal, and the release switch is a normally closed contact and is set to open at the predetermined second stroke amount, and the release switch is a normally closed contact and is set to open at the predetermined second stroke amount. A switch failure is determined when a state in which both switches are closed simultaneously (simultaneous closed state) continues for a first predetermined time a predetermined number of times, and when both switches are simultaneously closed, deceleration is detected. When it is small, counting of the number of times the brake pedal is simultaneously closed is prohibited, and if the occupant touches the brake pedal without intending to decelerate the vehicle and the brake pedal is simultaneously closed, it is determined that the switch is malfunctioning. The vehicle continues to run at a constant speed. In addition, if the simultaneous closed state continues for more than a second predetermined time,
By prohibiting counting of the number of times the brake pedal is closed simultaneously, if the occupant is driving the vehicle with his or her foot on the brake pedal without any intention to slow down the vehicle, the simultaneous closing brake pedal can be used as a criterion for determining a failure. This is not the case. Furthermore, if the vehicle speed is zero when the simultaneous closing condition is established, counting of the number of simultaneous closing conditions is prohibited, so that the simultaneous closing condition will not be judged as a failure if the brake is depressed while stopped. be.

[0007]

[Embodiment] In FIG. 1, a throttle valve 3 for adjusting the amount of intake air is provided in an intake passage 2 of an engine 1, and a throttle valve actuator 4 drives the throttle valve 3 to open and close to control the throttle opening. .

The automatic transmission 5 provided on the output side of the engine 1 includes a plurality of shift solenoids 6a, 6b, 6c and a lock-up solenoid 7. A hydraulic circuit (not shown) is switched by the on/off combination, a plurality of hydraulic engagement elements (not shown) are selectively engaged, the transmission mechanism is switched to a predetermined gear, and the lock-up solenoid 7 is switched. Torque converter (not shown)
A lock-up clutch (not shown) within is engaged or released.

A vehicle speed signal Vn from a vehicle speed sensor 9 that detects vehicle speed, an accelerator opening signal α from an accelerator sensor 11 that detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 10 as an accelerator opening, and a brake switch 1 that detects a brake operation.
2, a throttle opening signal TH from the throttle valve opening sensor 13, a gear position signal GP from the gear position sensor 14 that detects the shifting position of the automatic transmission 5, and a shifting mode signal from the mode switch 15. A detection signal such as M (for example, economy, normal, power) is input to the control unit 8, while a throttle valve control signal A is sent from the control unit 8 to the throttle valve actuator 4 to each gear change solenoid of the automatic transmission 5. A speed change control signal B and a lockup control signal C are outputted to the lockup solenoid 7 and the lockup solenoid 6a, 6b, 6c.

The throttle valve control signal A consists of a release control signal A1 inputted to the release control valve of the throttle valve actuator 4 and a pull control signal A2 inputted to the pull control valve. The pull control signal A2 is a pulse signal that variably controls the opening degree of each of the release control valve and the pull control valve depending on its duty ratio.

In addition, a cancel signal is input from the brake switch 12 to the control unit 8 together with the brake signal BR, and the constant speed driving control is canceled (cancelled) by this cancel signal, and the power source of the constant speed driving device is turned off. a main switch 16 for turning on and off the
Set switch 17 for setting desired target vehicle speed V0
, a resume (automatic return) switch 18 that once cancels the constant speed cruise control and then starts the constant speed cruise control again at the target vehicle speed V0 before cancellation, and an operation signal SW1 that performs arbitrary deceleration during the constant speed cruise control, SW2, SW3, SW4
A signal from coast switch 19 that outputs is input to control unit 8.

In FIG. 2, a brake pedal 20 is provided at the lower end of a brake lever 21 that is pivotally supported by an upper end pin 22, and an abutting portion 131 at the tip of an operating rod 130 of a brake switch 12 comes into contact with an appropriate position on the brake lever 21. When the brake pedal 20 is in position A, it is not depressed, and the operating rod 1 of the brake switch 12
30 is pushed in by the brake lever 21, a stop contact (described later) is turned off, and a cruise contact is turned on, and when the brake pedal 20 is depressed from position A in the direction of arrow F and reaches position B, the brake lever 21 of the operating rod 130 is pressed. The amount of depression is reduced, the stop contact is turned on, the cruise contact is kept on or turned off, and when the brake pedal 20 is further depressed in the direction of arrow F and reaches position C, the pressure on the operating rod 130 is released. The stop contact is held in the on state, and the cruise contact is reliably turned off. In this released state, even if the contact portion 131 is not in contact with the brake lever 21, good.

To explain the brake switch 12 in FIG. 3, a plurality of rod-shaped guides 121 are provided upright on a base 120, and the free end side of the guide 121 is bent outward to form a flange 122.
Fixed side stop contact 123 on the base 120 side of 22
A slider 12 is provided with a guide hole 124A around the periphery and a through hole 124B bored approximately in the center.
A guide 121 is slidably passed through the guide hole 124A of the slider 124, and a movable stop contact 125 is disposed outside the guide hole 124A of the slider 124, facing the fixed stop contact 123, thereby forming a stop switch. are doing.

Base 120 surrounded by guides 121
A cylinder 126 is installed in the cylinder 126 , a fixed cruise contact 127 is arranged on the side wall of the cylinder 126 , and an actuating body 128 is slidably inserted at one end into the cylinder 126 and connected to an operating rod 130 at the other end. The operating rod 130 extends slidably through the through hole 124B of the slider 124, and the tip of the operating rod 130 is formed into a contact portion 131 that contacts the brake lever 21.

A movable cruise contact 128 is provided at the end of the actuating body 128 on the side of the cylinder 126.
A first biasing spring 132 is installed between the bottom of the cylinder 126 and the side end of the cylinder 126 of the actuating body 128, and the operating rod 1 of the actuating body 128 is configured with the fixed cruise contact 127 of the actuating body 128.
30 Second biasing spring 1 between the side end and the slider 124
33 have been installed.

Note that the inner hole of the cylinder 126 may be formed into a circular hole or a rectangular cross section. If the inner hole is formed into a rectangular cross section, the cross section of the end of the cylinder 126 side of the actuating body 128 is also rectangular, thereby reducing unnecessary space. Stable movements can be made without any significant rotation. Further, the cylinder 126 may be replaced with a panel, and the end of the actuating body 128 may be slidably positioned between two panels.

Next, the operation in the state where constant speed running control is performed will be explained as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b).
, (c) are the brake pedals 20 in FIG. 2, respectively.
This shows the operating states corresponding to the operating positions A, B, and C of the brake pedal (brake pedal 2).
0 is the operating position A), the brake pedal 20 is not depressed, and the operating rod 130 is operated by the brake lever 21.
is pushed in, the contact portion 131 is at the starting point P0, the first biasing spring 132 is in a compressed state, and the second biasing spring 133 pulls the slider 124 and the guide 121
The fixed stop contact 123 and the movable stop contact 125 are not in contact (off state), and the fixed cruise contact 127 and movable cruise contact 128 are in contact (on state). The brake lamp (not shown) does not turn on, and constant speed driving control continues (see FIG. 4).

When the brake pedal 20 is depressed in the direction of arrow F from position A by the first stroke amount L1, the amount of depression of the operating rod 130 by the brake lever 21 decreases, and the first biasing spring 132 is restored and extended. Then, the actuating body 128 is pressed toward the slider 124 to move it by the stroke L1, and the second biasing spring 133 presses the slider 124 against the flange 122 of the guide 121, and the contact part 131 is located at the switching point P1 and is fixed. The side stop contact 123 and the movable side stop contact 125 are in contact (on state), the fixed side cruise contact 127 and the movable side cruise contact 128 are in contact (on state), the brake lamp lights up, and the vehicle is running at a constant speed. Control continues (see Figure 4).

[0020] The brake pedal 20 has a second stroke amount L.
2 (L1 < L2) and reaches position B, it enters the operating state (b), the amount of pushing of the operating rod 130 by the brake lever 21 decreases, and the first biasing spring 132 restores and extends. , the actuating body 128 is pressed toward the slider 124 side to move it to the second stroke amount L2 (switching point P2), and the second biasing spring 133 continues to press the flange 122 of the guide 121 of the slider 124, and moves to the fixed side. Stop contact 12
3 and the movable stop contact 125 are in contact (on state), the fixed cruise contact 127 and the movable cruise contact 128 are in contact (on state), and the stop switch and cruise switch are in the closed state at the same time. , the brake lamp lights up and constant speed driving control continues (Figure 4
reference).

Further, when the brake pedal 20 is depressed in the direction of arrow F and reaches position C, it enters the operating state (c), the pressure on the operating rod 130 by the brake lever 21 is released, and the fixed side stop contact 123 and It is held in contact with the movable stop contact 125 , and the restoring force of the first biasing spring 132 pushes and moves the actuating body 128 further toward the slider 124 , and the actuating body 128 is removed from the cylinder 126 . and securely connect the fixed cruise contact 127 and the movable cruise contact 128.
(off state) to reliably cancel constant speed driving control (see FIG. 4). At this time, the contact portion 131 is at the end point P
3, the second biasing spring 133 becomes the first biasing spring 13
The stroke L3 that the actuating body 128 can move is determined by the compression amount with the restoring force of 2.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, between the switching point P1 and the switching point P2, the stop switch and the cruise switch are simultaneously closed, in which the stop contact and the cruise contact are turned on at the same time. However, it is natural that the cruise contact may be turned off when the stop contact is turned on.

[0023] In the present invention, if the simultaneous closed state of the stop switch and cruise switch continues for longer than the first predetermined time, there is a high possibility that an abnormality has occurred in both switches, especially the cruise switch (for example, , breakage of the first biasing spring, etc.), this state is counted in the controller 8, and when it reaches a predetermined number of times or more, it is determined that the switch is malfunctioning, but the simultaneous closed state is established. Sometimes the deceleration is low, i.e. the vehicle is not slowed down,
This is not used as a criterion for determining faulty switches because the occupant has no intention of decelerating and is putting his or her foot on the brake pedal, and even if the simultaneous closed state continues for longer than the first predetermined time, This is not counted as the number of times the closed state is established.

[0024] Furthermore, if the simultaneous closed state of the stop switch and cruise switch continues for a longer period than the second predetermined time, for example, in an automatic transmission vehicle, assuming that the occupant is constantly driving with his or her foot on the brake pedal. , is not adopted as a criterion for determining a switch failure, and is not counted as the number of times a simultaneous closed state is established.

Furthermore, when the stop switch and cruise switch are simultaneously closed and the vehicle speed is zero, that is, when the vehicle is stopped, such as waiting at a traffic light, the following criteria are used to determine if the switch is malfunctioning: This is not adopted and is not counted as the number of times a simultaneous closed state is established.

According to the above configuration, even if the stop switch and cruise switch are closed simultaneously, the switch may not necessarily be malfunctioning, and in such a case, it is not determined as a malfunction, but the stability is maintained. control can be performed.

[0028]

[Effects of the Invention] Since the present invention is constructed as described above, in the stop switch and cruise switch operated by depressing the brake pedal, even after the normally open stop contact is turned on, the operating rod of the contact moves. This allows the normally closed cruise contact to be turned off reliably.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of an engine equipped with a constant speed traveling device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of a brake pedal and a brake switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the structure of a stop switch of a constant speed traveling device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;
, (b), and (c) show operating states corresponding to the amount of depression of the brake pedal.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of a stop contact and a cruise contact according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Engine 2 Intake passage 3 Throttle valve 4 Throttle valve actuator 5 Automatic transmission 6a, 6b, 6c Shift solenoid 7 Lock-up solenoid 8 Control unit 9 Vehicle speed sensor 10 Accelerator pedal 11 Accelerator sensor 12 Brake switch 20 Brake pedal 121 Guide 123 Fixed side stop contact 124 Slider 125 Movable side stop contact 126 Cylinder 127 Fixed side cruise contact 128 Operating body 129 Movable side cruise contact 130 Operating rod 132 First biasing spring 133 Second biasing spring

Claims (3)

[Claims] Claim 1: A constant speed traveling device comprising a brake switch device comprising a stop switch that detects operation of a brake pedal and controls lighting of a brake lamp, and a release switch that cancels constant speed traveling control, wherein a stop switch is provided. is a normally open contact, and the predetermined first contact of the brake pedal
The release switch is set to close at a stroke amount, the release switch is a normally closed contact, and the release switch is set to open at a predetermined second stroke amount. A vehicle constant is characterized in that it determines a failure of a switch when it occurs a number of consecutive times, and that if the deceleration is small when both switches are simultaneously closed, counting of the number of times the switches are simultaneously closed is prohibited. Speed running device. 2. In a constant speed traveling device comprising a brake switch device comprising a stop switch that detects operation of a brake pedal and controls lighting of a brake lamp, and a release switch that cancels constant speed traveling control, the stop switch is a normally open contact, and the predetermined first contact of the brake pedal
The release switch is set to close at a stroke amount, the release switch is a normally closed contact, and the release switch is set to open at a predetermined second stroke amount. A device for a vehicle that determines a failure of a switch when the number of consecutive times occurs, and that when both switches are simultaneously closed for a second predetermined period of time or more, counting of the number of times the switches are simultaneously closed is prohibited. Constant speed running device. 3. In a constant speed traveling device equipped with a brake switch device comprising a stop switch that detects operation of a brake pedal and controls lighting of a brake lamp, and a release switch that cancels constant speed traveling control, the stop switch is a normally open contact, and the predetermined first contact of the brake pedal
The release switch is set to close at a stroke amount, the release switch is a normally closed contact, and the release switch is set to open at a predetermined second stroke amount. A constant speed vehicle that determines a failure of a switch when the number of times in succession occurs, and that if the vehicle speed is zero when both switches are simultaneously closed, counting of the number of times the switches are simultaneously closed is prohibited. Traveling device.