JPH06161544A - Device for attaching sensor of automatic traveling vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the damage of a rotation arm and sensor and the shock to the vehicle components on the side of a car body by absorbing a shock by the plastic deformation of a shock absorber between the front part of the car body and this arm when the rotation arm with a sensor collides with an obstacle on a traveling plane. CONSTITUTION:A pivotal support shaft 73 supports pivotally the rear end side of a rotation arm 62 by the front part of a car body 2 of a golf car (vehicle) 1 and the front end side of this arm 62 rotates freely in left and right directions in the direction of the rotation of this pivotal support shaft. The vehicle 1 automatically travels by the detection signal of a guide line sensor 63 for guiding the travel of the front end side of the rotation arm 62. At this point, it is supposed that the rotation arm 62 collides with a projecting obstacle on the traveling plane. At this time, each shock absorbers 77, 84 on the front part side of the car body 2 and the side of the rotation arm 62 absorb shock by performing plastic deformation for them, respectively. Thus, the propagation of the shock to the rotation arm 62 and the sensor 63 can be prevented. Because the shock transmitting from the side of the rotation arm 62 to the side of the car body 2 can be absorbed by the shock absorbing bodies 77, 84, the damage of the car components of the side of this car body 2 can be prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic traveling vehicle such as a golf car, and more particularly to a sensor mounting device for guiding the vehicle in a predetermined direction during automatic traveling.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some golf courses have guide wires buried in the ground along a desired route along which a golf car runs. A golf car running on this golf course is provided with a rotating arm whose rear end side is pivotally supported on the front part of the vehicle body by a pivot shaft and whose front end side is rotatable left and right around the pivot shaft. There is one in which a sensor for guiding the traveling is attached to the front end side of the moving arm. When automatically driving the golf car, an alternating current is passed through the guide wire to cause the sensor to detect the magnetic force of the guide wire generated thereby, and the traveling wheels are steered in accordance with the detection signal, The turning arm is automatically turned by a predetermined angle, and the change in the detection signal accompanying the turning of the turning arm is fed back to steer the traveling wheels. In this way, the golf car is desired. It is designed to steer in the direction.

[0003]

By the way, the rotating arm is provided near the traveling surface because it is necessary to attach a sensor for detecting the magnetic force of the guide wire buried in the ground. Therefore, when the golf car travels, the rotating arm may abruptly collide with an obstacle such as a stone or a tree protruding on the traveling surface. Then, at this time, the impact of the collision may damage the rotating arm and the sensor attached thereto, and the impact may be transmitted to the vehicle body to damage vehicle component parts on the vehicle body side. There is also.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above circumstances, in which a vehicle is provided with a turning arm, a traveling guiding sensor is attached to the turning arm, and a detection signal of the sensor is used to When the automatic traveling is enabled, even if the rotating arm unexpectedly collides with an obstacle protruding on the traveling surface during the automatic traveling, the rotating arm and the sensor attached to the rotating arm can be easily installed. It is an object of the present invention to prevent the vehicle component parts on the vehicle body side from being subjected to the above-mentioned impact while being prevented from being damaged.

[0005]

To achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized in that a rear end side is pivotally supported by a pivot shaft on a front portion of a vehicle body, and a front end side is rotated right and left around the pivot shaft. A rotatable arm is provided, a sensor for guiding the running is attached to the front end side of the rotatable arm, and a shock absorber is provided between the front side of the vehicle body and the rotatable arm side. In point. In the above case, a bracket for rotatably supporting the pivot shaft is provided, and the shock absorber is provided between the vehicle body side and the bracket and between the turning arm and the same bracket. You may intervene.

[0006]

[Operation] The operation of the above configuration is as follows. The terms in parentheses below correspond to the terms in the claims. The rear end side has a pivot 73 on the front of the vehicle body 2.
A pivot arm 62, which is pivotally supported by the front end side and is rotatable left and right around the pivot shaft 73, is provided, and a guide wire sensor (sensor) 6 for traveling guidance is provided on the front end side of the pivot arm 62.
3 is attached to the front side of the vehicle body 2 and the rotating arm 6
Shock absorbers 77, 84 are provided between the two sides. Therefore, when the rotating arm 62 unexpectedly collides with an obstacle projecting on the traveling surface during automatic traveling, the impact A
Are absorbed by the plastic deformation of the shock absorbers 77, 84. Further, the impact A that is transmitted from the rotating arm 62 side to the vehicle body 2 side is also affected by the impact absorbing body 77,
Since it is absorbed by 84, the vehicle component on the vehicle body 2 side is prevented from receiving the impact A. Further, in the above case, the bracket 76 for supporting the pivot shaft 73 rotatably around its axis is provided, and in particular, the shock absorbers 77, 8 are provided.
4 between the vehicle body 2 side and the bracket 76,
It may be interposed between the same and the bracket 76. In this case, both shock absorbers 77 and 84 absorb the shock.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 9, reference numeral 1 is a golf car which is a vehicle, G is a golf course, and an arrow Fr in the drawing is the golf car 1
Shows the front of. The right and left described below means the direction toward the front. The vehicle body 2 of the golf car 1 includes a pair of left and right side frames 2a, 2a extending in the front-rear direction, first to fifth cross members 2b to 2f connecting the side frames 2a, 2a to each other, and other cross members. The third cross member 2d is firmly attached to each side frame 2a by a pair of left and right support plates 2g. A pair of left and right front wheels 3, 3 are steerably supported on the front portion of the vehicle body 2. On the other hand, a pair of left and right rear wheels 4 and 4, which are drive wheels, are supported at the rear of the vehicle body 2. In addition, the vehicle body 2
A bumper 5 extending in the left-right direction is attached to the front end of the.

A gasoline engine 6, which is a driving source of the vehicle, is mounted substantially in the center of the front and rear of the vehicle body 2. A carburetor 7 and an intake pipe 8 are connected to an intake port of the engine 6, while an exhaust pipe 9 and a muffler 1 are connected to an exhaust port.
0 and the muffler 10 are arranged on the right side of the vehicle body 2. Further, a fuel tank 11 for supplying gasoline fuel to the engine 6 via the carburetor 7 is provided.

A gear type speed reducer 12 is supported on the vehicle body 2 behind the engine 6. The input shaft of the speed reducer 12 is connected to the engine 6 by an automatic transmission 13 of V belt type, and the output shaft of the speed reducer 12 is connected to the rear wheels 4 and 4. When the engine 6 is driven, the rear wheels 4 and 4 are driven through the automatic transmission 13 and the speed reducer 12 in sequence, and the golf car 1 can run.

A starter dynamo 15 is provided in front of the engine 6, and the starter dynamo 15 is connected to the engine 6 by a V-belt winding device 16. The starter dynamo 15 serves both as a starter motor for starting the engine 6 and as a generator. When the starter dynamo 15 functions as a starter motor, the starter dynamo 15 drives the battery 17 arranged on the left side thereof as a power source to start the engine 6. On the other hand, when the starter dynamo 15 functions as a generator, the output is charged in the battery 17 as above.

1 to 5, in the front portion of the vehicle body 2, the handle post 1 extends rearward and upward from the center portion in the left and right directions.
9, a handle post 19 is fastened to the fourth cross member 2e and the fifth cross member 2f. A steering shaft 20 is rotatably supported by the handle post 19 so as to be rotatable about its axis, and a bar-type handle 21 is attached to the upper end of the steering shaft 20. The steering shaft 2
The front wheels 3, 3 are steerably connected to the lower end of 0 via a link mechanism 22. More specifically, the link mechanism 22 includes a pitman arm 22a fixed to the lower end of the steering shaft 20, and a pitman arm 22a.
Has tie rods 22b and 22b extending from the left to the right,
The extended end of each tie rod 22b is connected to the knuckle arm of each front wheel 3. When the steering wheel 21 is steered, the steering shaft 20 rotates forward and backward, and the front wheels 3 are steered via the pitman arm 22a and the tie rods 22b.

The steering motor 2 is attached to the handle post 19.
3 is supported, and the front wheel 3, 3 side is also steerably connected to the steering motor 23 via the link mechanism 22. More specifically, the output shaft 23a of the steering motor 23
The first interlocking arm 23b is spline-fitted and fixed by a bolt 23c,
The pitman arm 22a is connected to each other by a first interlocking link 23d whose length is freely adjustable.

When the steering motor 23 is driven to rotate in the forward and reverse directions, the first interlocking arm 23b is rotated accordingly, and the first interlocking link 23d and the pitman arm 22 are rotated.
Each front wheel 3 is steered via a and each tie rod 22b. Since the steering wheel 21 and the steering motor 23 are connected to each other by the steering shaft 20, the pitman arm 22a, etc., when one of them is driven, the other is linked to this. Then, by operating the steering wheel 21 or driving the steering motor 23, the front wheels 3, 3 are connected via the link mechanism 22 in any case.
3 is steered.

A parking lever 24 is pivotally supported on the upper end of the steering shaft 20. A disc brake 25 is attached to the right end of the intermediate shaft of the speed reducer 12,
An electromagnetic brake 26 is attached to the left end of the other intermediate shaft. The disc brake 25 is the parking lever 2
By the operation of 4, the braking or the braking is released. On the other hand, a brake lever 27 is provided corresponding to the left grip of the handle 21, and the disc brake 25 can be braked or released by operating the brake lever 27. By this braking operation, the rear wheels 4, 4 are braked via the speed reducer 12.

The electromagnetic brake 26 is normally electrically turned off. In this case, the electromagnetic brake 26 is braking by the spring force, and the rear wheels 4 and 4 are also braked via the speed reducer 12 by this. On the other hand, when the electromagnetic brake 26 is electrically turned on (ON), braking of the electromagnetic brake 26 is released by the electromagnetic force that opposes the spring force.

The throttle valve of the carburetor 7 has a first
A switching device 29 is connected via a wire 28, a governor device 31 is connected to the switching device 29 via a second wire 30, and the governor device 31 is connected to the governor device 31 via a third wire 32. An accelerator lever 33 provided corresponding to the right grip of the handle 21 is connected. Further, an electromagnetic clutch 35 and a stepping motor 36 are connected to the throttle valve of the carburetor 7 via the first wire 28 and the switching device 29.

When the accelerator lever 33 is connected to the throttle valve of the carburetor 7 by the switching operation of the switching device 29, the operation of the accelerator lever 33 is performed via the governor device 31 and the switching device 29. Vaporizer 7
Is transmitted to the throttle valve. Then, the opening / closing operation of the throttle valve according to the operation amount of the accelerator lever 33 can be obtained.

Further, if the stepping motor 36 is connected to the throttle valve of the carburetor 7 by the switching operation of the switching device 29, the stepping motor 36 can be operated.
Of the electromagnetic clutch 35 turned on (connection operation),
It is transmitted to the throttle valve of the carburetor 7 via the switching device 29. Then, the stepping motor 36
The opening / closing operation of the throttle valve according to the operation of is obtained.

A step plate 3 is provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2.
8 are laid. When the operator gets on the step plate 38, the steering wheel 21 can be steered while the operator stands on the step plate 38, and the brake lever 27 can be operated.
The accelerator lever 33 can be operated. A basket 40 for mounting the golf bag 39 is provided on the front portion of the vehicle body 2, and the operator can carry the golf bag 39 to a desired position by the steering or the like.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 10, the golf car 1 will be described.
A control device for electrically and electronically controlling the travel of the vehicle will be described. 1 to 9, a main controller 42 is provided substantially in the center of the left and right of the vehicle body 2. On the other hand, an ignition circuit 44 is electrically connected to the engine 6 (hereinafter, simply referred to as connection), and the ignition circuit 44 is connected to the main controller 42. Also,
A rotation sensor 45 for detecting the number of rotations of the engine 6 is provided, and this rotation sensor 45 is also connected to the main controller 42 as described above. The output signal of the rotation sensor 45 determines the ignition timing in the ignition circuit 44.

A main switch 46 capable of supplying the electric power of the battery 17 is provided to each electric component such as the main controller 42. In addition, a start / stop switch 47 that enables the golf car 1 to start or stop is connected to the main controller 42. The main switch 46 and the start / stop switch 47
Is attached to an instrument panel 43 supported by the handle post 19.

The main switch 46 includes a caddy switch 46a, a self switch 46b, and a fixed point passing switch 46c, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9. The main switch 46 is a key switch and is composed of a lock 48 provided on the side of the instrument panel 43 and a key 49 which is inserted into and removed from the lock 48 and operated by a key.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the key 49 is turned off, the power supply from the battery 17 to other electric parts is cut off. When the key 49 is set to, the caddy switch 46a is turned on, when set to, the self switch 46b is turned on, and when set to, the fixed point passage switch 46c is turned on. Moreover, when one of the switches is turned on in this manner, the other switches are turned off. In this case, when the caddy switch 46a and the fixed point passage switch 46c are turned on by the key 49, the key 49 cannot be mechanically removed from the lock 48.

1 to 9, the golf car 1
Separately, a transmitter 50 is provided, and this transmitter 50 also has
A start / stop switch 51 having the same function as the start / stop switch 47 is provided. On the other hand, a remote control receiver 52 connected to the main controller 42 is provided. When the start / stop switch 51 of the transmitter 50 is operated, the signal is received by the remote control receiver 52 and each component of the golf car 1 is operated. Reference numeral 52a is an antenna of the remote control receiver 52.

A vehicle speed sensor 53 is attached to the speed reducer 12, and the vehicle speed sensor 53 is connected to the main controller 4.
Connected to 2.

The throttle valve of the carburetor 7 is provided with a throttle sensor 55 for detecting its opening. The throttle sensor 55 is composed of a potentiometer, and is connected to the main controller 42 together with the stepping motor 36.

A resistor 57 is connected in parallel to the series circuit of the battery 17 and the main relay 56, one end of the parallel circuit is connected to the main controller 42 via the power system controller 58, and the other end is connected to the starter dynamo. It is connected to 15. In addition, the main relay 56,
The current sensor 60 is connected to the main controller 42. Further, a steering relay 65 is connected in parallel with the battery 17. The resistor 57 is covered and protected from the outside of the vehicle body 2 by a resistor guard 57a.

At the golf course G, near the ground surface,
Guide wire 6 along the desired running course of the golf car 1
1 is embedded, and an S-pole or N-pole magnet 61a is embedded at a predetermined position along the longitudinal direction of the guide wire 61.

On the other hand, a rotating arm 62 which is interlocked with the link mechanism 22 and rotates left and right in synchronization with the steering direction of the front wheels 3, 3 is provided. Three guide wire sensors 63, which are sensors, are attached to the rotating end of the rotating arm 62, and these guide wire sensors 63 are connected to the main controller 42 via a guide fixed point amplifier 64. The steering motor 23 is also connected to the main controller 42 via the power system controller 58.

On the other hand, a fixed point sensor 66 is attached to the lower side of the vehicle body 2. Also, by operating the parking lever 24,
A parking switch 68 is provided for detecting that the disc brake 25 has been braked. Further, a boarding switch 69 which is a boarding detection sensor is provided on the lower surface side of the step plate 38, and each of these sensors 66, 68, 69.
Is also connected to the main controller 42.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, the rotating arm 6 is described.
2, the guide wire sensor 63, and the fixed point sensor 66,
This will be described in more detail. The rotating arm 62 includes an arm body 71 extending in the front-rear direction and a mounting bar 72 attached to the front end of the arm body 71 and extending left and right.
The arm body 71 is formed of a pipe material having a square cross section, and the mounting bar 72 is formed of a channel shape material.

The rear end side of the arm body 71 is pivotally supported on the vehicle body 2 side by a pivot shaft 73 having a longitudinal axis. On the other hand, the guide wire sensors 63 are detachably attached to the inside of the lower surface of the mounting bar 72 by bolts 74, and the guide wire sensors 63 are arranged at equal intervals on the left and right. A cylindrical bracket 76 for supporting the pivot shaft 73 rotatably around its axis is provided.
A first support plate 77, which is a shock absorber, is provided so as to project substantially horizontally from the upper and lower middle portions of 6.

On the other hand, a second support plate 78 is attached to the middle of the left and right sides of the second cross member 2c. And
The first support plate 77 is detachably screwed to the second support plate 78 by a pair of left and right bolts 79, 79, whereby the bracket 76 is supported on the vehicle body 2 side. A second interlocking arm 81 is provided on the upper end of the pivot shaft 73.
Are spline-fitted and fixed to each other by a bolt 82 integrally formed with the pivot 73. The second interlocking arm 81 and the pitman arm 22a are connected to each other by a second interlocking link 83 whose length is adjustable.

At the lower end of the pivot 73, a support piece 84, which is a shock absorber, is provided so as to protrude substantially horizontally forward. The protruding end of the support piece 84 is inserted into the rear end of the arm body 71, and the pair of front and rear bolts 85, 85
Is removably screwed to the arm body 71. When each front wheel 3 is steered via the first interlocking link 23d and the pitman arm 22a by driving the steering motor 23, at the same time, the second interlocking link is turned in the same direction as the steering direction of each front wheel 3. The rotating arm 62 can be rotated via 83 and the like.

In the above case, when the rotating arm 62 unexpectedly collides with an obstacle projecting on the traveling surface during the automatic traveling of the golf car 1, the impact A is the impact A.
It is absorbed by the plastic deformation of 7,84. Therefore, the impact A is prevented from being transmitted to the rotating arm 62 and the guide wire sensor 63 attached to the rotating arm 62,
These breaks are prevented.

Further, the impact A, which is transmitted from the rotating arm 62 side to the vehicle body 2 side, also receives the impact absorbers 77, 84.
Absorbed by For this reason, vehicle components such as the engine 6 on the vehicle body 2 side are prevented from being subjected to the impact A, that is, their damage is prevented.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the guide wire sensor 63 is located near the rear of the lower part of the bumper 5,
Further, the lower surface of the guide wire sensor 63 is located above the lower surface of the bumper 5 by a dimension B. Therefore, the bumper 5 prevents the guide wire sensor 63 from directly colliding with an obstacle on the traveling surface while the golf car 1 is traveling, and the guide wire sensor 63 is protected. There is.

On the other hand, behind the third cross member 2d, a support frame 87 is provided on the third cross member 2d and the side frame 2a, and the support frame 87 is provided.
A support disk 88 is firmly attached to the. The fixed point sensor 66 is provided on the lower surface of the support disk 88.
Are detachably attached by three bolts 89. In this case, the fixed point sensor 66 is located near the rear of the lower portion of the third cross member 2d, and the lower surface of the fixed point sensor 66 is located above the lower surface of the third cross member 2d by a dimension C. . Therefore, when the fixed point sensor 66 directly collides with the obstacle on the traveling surface while the golf car 1 is traveling,
This is prevented by d and the fixed point sensor 66 is protected.

FIG. 10 shows a flow chart for the main controller 42, in which (P-1) to (P-1).
-16) indicates each step of the program. (P
-1) is the step of starting the mode switching process,
In this case, the mode is a caddy mode when the caddy switch 46a is turned on, a self mode when the self switch 46b is turned on, and a fixed point passing mode when the fixed point passing switch 46c is turned on.
By operating the main switch 46 described above,
Any one of these modes can be selected. And in each of these modes, the golf car 1
It is in the control state of unmanned automatic driving.

In the caddy mode or the fixed point passing mode, the boarding switch 6 is operated in a selected control state.
When 9 outputs a detection signal, the golf car 1 can be automatically switched from the above-mentioned automatic running control state to the manual running control state, and this manual running control state is called a boarding mode.

Each of the above controls will be described in more detail.
When running the golf car 1, first, one of the main switch 46 is selected from the caddy switch 46a, the self switch 46b, and the fixed point passing switch 46c (P-2). Then, the golf car 1 is in the control state of automatic traveling. In addition, if a start command is given to the main controller 42 by operating the start stop switch 47 or the start stop switch 51 of the transmitter 50, the golf car 1 will automatically run.

That is, in response to the start command, the main relay 56 is connected, and thereby the starter dynamo 15 is connected to the battery 17, and the starter dynamo 15 is connected.
Functions as a starter motor and starts the engine 6. Further, the same as above, the electromagnetic clutch 35 is connected by the start command, and the stepping motor 36 is connected to the switching device 29.
Same as above, it is connected to the throttle valve of the carburetor 7 via the electromagnetic clutch 35, and its opening is automatically adjusted by the stepping motor 36. In this case, the connection of the governor device 31 and the accelerator lever 33 to the throttle valve of the carburetor 7 is released by the switching device 29. At the same time as the above, the electromagnetic brake 26 is turned on and the braking is released.

When the engine 6 reaches a predetermined speed, its power is transmitted to the speed reducer 12 while being automatically shifted by the automatic transmission 13. Then, after being decelerated by the speed reducer 12, it is transmitted to the rear wheels 4 and 4, whereby the golf car 1 starts running.

When the traveling is started, each of the guide wire sensors 63 causes the guide wire 61 to which an alternating current is applied in advance.
The steering motor 23 is driven to rotate in the forward and reverse directions through the main controller 42 and the power system controller 58 in response to the detection of the magnetic force of the steering wheel 23. The barrel front left and right wheels 3, 3 are steered.

At the same time, the rotating arm 62 also
The drive of the steering motor 23 is interlocked with the above-mentioned link mechanism 22. Then, the change in the detection signal of each guide wire sensor 63 due to the rotation of the rotating arm 62 is fed back to the steering motor 23, and the steering motor 23 is driven in accordance therewith, again as described above. As each front wheel 3 is steered, the rotating arm 62 is also rotated.
Then, this is repeated, and the golf car 1 will automatically run along the guide line 61.
During the above-mentioned automatic traveling, by the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 53,
When the vehicle speed is slow, the throttle valve of the carburetor 7 is opened more largely by operating the stepping motor 36, and when the vehicle speed is faster, the throttle valve is closed smaller.

When the throttle valve is opened and closed by the operation of the stepping motor 36, the throttle sensor 55 detects this opening and feeds it back to the stepping motor 36 via the main controller 42. The proper opening can be obtained. In this way, the vehicle speed sensor 53
The throttle valve of the carburetor 7 is adjusted in opening degree by the detection signal of, and normally, a certain high speed traveling is maintained.
However, during this traveling, when the golf car 1 deviates from the guide wire 61 by a certain size or more, it is decelerated and switched to a certain low speed traveling.

The magnet 61a is installed in front of a steep downhill or a sharp turn, and the low speed running is performed even when the fixed point sensor 66 detects the magnet 61a. In this low-speed traveling, the low-speed traveling distance is calculated by the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 53 and the timer built in the main controller 42, and after the predetermined low-speed traveling, the vehicle automatically returns to the high-speed traveling. It is like this.

While the vehicle is running, the starter dynamo 15 driven by the engine 6 functions as a generator, and its output is charged in the battery 17 via the main relay 56 that is turned on. When going down a downhill, the regenerative braking action is generated by the power generation in the starter dynamo 15, and the golf car 1 is decelerated. When the battery 17 is sufficiently charged, the regenerative braking becomes insufficient. At this time, the main relay 56 is turned off and the starter dynamo 15 is switched to the resistor 57. . Then, the generated current is consumed by the resistor 57, whereby the desired resistance braking is obtained.

When the running of the golf car 1 is stopped, a stop command is given to the main controller 42 by the start stop switch 47 or the start stop switch 51 of the transmitter 50. In this case, first, the electromagnetic clutch 3
5 is turned on (connection operation), the stepping motor 36
Then, the carburetor 7 is closed. Then, the golf car 1 is decelerated by the engine brake of the engine 6 and the regenerative braking by the power generation of the starter dynamo 15.
After that, when it is determined by the detection signal of the rotation sensor 45 or the vehicle speed sensor 53 that the rotation speed or the vehicle speed of the engine 6 has become lower than a predetermined value, the engine 6 causes the ignition circuit 44 to misfire. At this time, the electromagnetic clutch 35 is turned off (disengaged), the throttle valve in the carburetor 7 is fully closed by the spring return, and the engine 6 is stopped by these. At the same time as the engine 6 is stopped, the electromagnetic brake 26 is turned off to brake the rear wheels 4 and 4, whereby the golf car 1 is stopped (hereinafter, this stop of the golf car 1 is referred to as stop control. ).

In (P-3), if the mode selected by the main switch 46 (previous mode) is the same as the mode currently running, (P-4) is executed. (P-
In 4), it is detected by the throttle sensor 55 that the electromagnetic brake 26 is in a non-braking state, the opening of the carburetor 7 is not 0, and the opening is open, and the current vehicle speed is 0.
When it is determined that the following is not detected by the vehicle speed sensor 53, that is, when it is determined that the golf car 1 is not stopped, through (P-5),
Return to (P-1) above. And the golf car 1 is
The unmanned automatic driving described above is maintained.

In (P-3), when the previous mode and the current mode are different, that is, when the mode is switched, the mode switching flag is set to "change" ((P-
6). Then, in this case, the golf car 1 is stopped and controlled in the same manner as described above, and then (P-4) is executed. At this (P-4), when it is determined that the golf car 1 is not stopped, the procedure returns to (P-1) through (P-5) in the same manner as described above, and the golf car 1
The stop control of is repeated. Then, if it is determined that the golf car 1 is stopped in (P-4), (P-8)
Is executed.

(P-8) again, main switch 46
Selects one of the caddy mode, self mode, and fixed point passing mode. Same as above (P-8)
Then, when the caddy mode is selected (P-9) and the start command is given to the main controller 42 by operating the start / stop switches 47 and 51, the mode flag becomes the caddy mode (P-10). In this case, as described above, the key 49 of the main switch 46 does not come out of the lock 48, that is, in this caddy mode, anyone can freely operate the main switch 46. In this control state, when the boarding switch 69 is not turned on, that is, when there is no one on the step plate 38 (P-11), the process returns to (P-1) and the above (P-1) to (P-10). ) Is executed.

When the boarding switch 69 is turned on in the above (P-11), it is determined that the operator is present on the step plate 38, that is, the operator intends to manually drive the golf car 1, The mode is automatically switched to the boarding mode (P-12), and the mode flag is set to the boarding mode. In this case, the golf car 1 can be manually driven.

That is, in this control state, the accelerator lever 33 is connected to the throttle valve of the carburetor 7 via the governor device 31 by the operation of the switching device 29. Therefore, by manually operating the accelerator lever 33, the throttle opening of the carburetor 7 can be changed to freely adjust the traveling speed of the golf car 1. Also in this case,
The steering of the golf car 1 can be freely performed by operating the handle 21, and the braking of the golf car 1 can be freely performed by operating the brake lever 27.

In the same as above (P-8), when the self mode is selected (P-13) and the start command is given to the main controller 42 by operating the start / stop switches 47 and 51, the mode flag becomes the self mode (P-8). -14). In this case, as described above, the key 4 on the main switch 46
9 can be pulled out from the lock 48. If the key 49 is removed in this way, only a specific person such as a golf course manager can operate the main switch 46, and a golfer can prevent the main switch 46 from being freely operated. In the control state in the self mode, (P-1) to (P-8) are executed regardless of whether the boarding switch 69 is turned on.

When the fixed point passing mode is selected (P-15) and the start command is given to the main controller 42 by operating the start / stop switches 47 and 51 in the above (P-8), the mode flag becomes the fixed point passing mode. (P-16). In this case, as described above, the key 49 of the main switch 46 cannot be removed from the lock 48, that is,
In this fixed point passing mode, anyone can freely operate the main switch 46.

By the way, when the golf car 1 reaches the specific magnet 61a while the golf car 1 is in the automatic running control state, the fixed point sensor 66 detects the magnet and the golf car 1 is controlled to stop. It has become. However, when the fixed point passage mode is selected, even if the magnet 61a is reached, it is ignored and the vehicle is controlled to travel to the next fixed point magnet 61a. Also in this control state, (P-11) and (P-12) described above are executed as in the case of selecting the caddy mode. Although the above is based on the illustrated example, the step plate 38 may be a seat.

In particular, according to the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 10, the boarding switch 69 for detecting the passenger's getting on the golf car 1 is provided, and the detection state of the boarding switch 69 indicates the control state of the automatic running. The control mode for manual travel is automatically switched. For this reason, when trying to switch the golf car 1 that is automatically traveling to the control state of manual traveling, it is not necessary to operate the control device.
When the operator gets on the golf car 1, the boarding switch 69 can quickly obtain the above-described control state of the manual travel. Therefore, it is possible to quickly shift the automatically traveling golf car 1 to the control state of manual traveling.

FIG. 11 shows another embodiment. According to this, the pivot shaft 73 is fastened to the first support plate 77 by the bolts 82 integrally formed with the pivot shaft 73. On the other hand, the support piece 84 is fixed to the bracket 76,
The second interlocking arm 81 is formed integrally with the support piece 84. Since other configurations and operations are similar to those of the above-mentioned embodiment, common reference numerals are given to the drawings, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0060]

According to the present invention, the rear end side is pivotally supported on the front part of the vehicle body by the pivot shaft, and the front end side is provided with the pivot arm which is rotatable left and right around the pivot shaft. A sensor for traveling guidance is attached to the front end side of the arm, and a shock absorber is provided between the front side of the vehicle body and the rotating arm side. Therefore, when the rotating arm suddenly collides with an obstacle protruding on the traveling surface during automatic traveling, the impact is absorbed by the plastic deformation of the impact absorbing body. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the impact from being transmitted to the rotating arm and the sensor attached to the rotating arm, and to prevent damage to them. Further, since the impact absorbing body absorbs the impact transmitted from the rotating arm side to the vehicle body side, it is possible to prevent the vehicle component parts on the vehicle body side from receiving the impact. To be prevented. In the above case, a bracket for supporting the pivot shaft so as to be rotatable about its axis is provided, and in particular, the shock absorber is provided between the vehicle body side and the bracket and between the rotating arm and the same bracket. However, in this case, the impact is absorbed by both impact absorbers, so that the impact is more effectively absorbed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially enlarged view of FIG.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a golf car.

FIG. 3 is an overall plan simplified view of a golf car.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG.

5 is a view of the steering motor seen from the bottom surface in FIG. 1. FIG.

6 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a detailed rear view of the main switch.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the main switch.

FIG. 9 is an overall diagram including an electrical wiring diagram.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a main controller.

FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 6 in another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Golf Car (Vehicle) 2 Vehicle Body 62 Rotating Arm 63 Guide Wire Sensor (Sensor) 73 Pivot Shaft 76 Bracket 77 First Support Plate (Shock Absorber) 84 Support Piece (Shock Absorber)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A rear end is pivotally supported on a front portion of a vehicle body by a pivot shaft, and a front end is provided with a pivot arm that is rotatable left and right around the pivot shaft, and the pivot arm travels to the front end side. A sensor mounting device for an automatic vehicle, in which a guiding sensor is mounted, and a shock absorber is provided between the front side of the vehicle body and the rotating arm side. 2. A bracket for supporting a pivot shaft rotatably around its axis is provided, and the shock absorber is provided between at least one of the vehicle body side and the bracket and between the pivot arm and the same bracket. The sensor mounting device for an autonomous vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the sensor mounting device is provided in the vehicle.