JPH0761302A - Bumper device for automatic traveling vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a large quantity of contraction stroke of a bumper with the simple structure by providing a stopper part for regulating the rotating angle of each link arm, and providing a bumper switch for detecting denaturation of each link arm. CONSTITUTION:A stopper screw 37 abuts on a stopper part 24e formed integrally with a fixed bracket 24b to regulate the rotating angle of a second link arm 26 in the energizing direction thereof. When a vehicle collides with an object during the traveling at an automatic traveling mode, a first and a second link arms 25, 26 are turned by the shrinkage denaturation of a front bumper 8, resisting the energizing force, to absorb the impact force. The second link arm 26 is turned to cancel the pushing of a bumper switch 27, and the switch 27 is thereby turned off, and a vehicle is stopped on the basis of the off-signal. Quantity of contraction displacement of the link arms 25, 26 can be considered as a quantity of compression stroke of the bumper 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bumper device used in, for example, an automatic vehicle, and more specifically, by increasing the displacement stroke of the bumper, the shock absorbing capacity can be improved and the impact on the vehicle body at the time of a collision can be improved. The present invention relates to an improvement in a bumper support structure that can suppress the transmission of force and can simplify the structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a golf course or a factory, for example, a guide line laid along a running course is detected by a sensor on the vehicle body side, and the traveling direction of the vehicle is automatically controlled along the guide line. So-called self-driving vehicles such as golf cars and trucks that can be driven unmanned are used.

An automatic vehicle of this type controls a steering device for operating a traveling direction of a vehicle, a power device for supplying a driving force to wheels of the vehicle, and operating states of the power device, the steering device and the like. And a control device for controlling. Further, the above-mentioned automatic vehicle is provided with a bumper device for stopping the traveling when the bumper collides with an obstacle. As an example of such a bumper device, a conventional bumper device is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 64-41462. Some are disclosed. This is because a pair of left and right link mechanisms consisting of a swing link and a connecting link are rotatably arranged in the body frame, and each link and the body frame are connected by a spring member so that both links extend in the extension direction of the bumper. And a front end portion of the link is engaged with a front end portion of the vehicle body frame to restrict relative rotation, and the front end portion of the link and the bumper are connected through a connecting piece. . This bumper device detects the contraction displacement of the bumper when it collides with an obstacle with a proximity switch and stops the vehicle accordingly.

[0004]

However, in the bumper device of the above-mentioned conventional publication, since each link is arranged in the body frame and the connecting link and the frame front end are connected by the spring, the body frame is bumpered. Since it has to be extended to the vicinity, there is a limit to how large the contraction stroke of the bumper can be, and as a result, there is a problem that the shock absorbing capacity is small. Further, in the conventional device, there is a problem that the frame becomes large and the structure becomes complicated as the vehicle body frame is extended forward.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and provides a vehicle bumper device capable of obtaining a large contraction stroke amount of the bumper with a simple structure and without increasing the size of the vehicle body frame. It is intended to be provided.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a vehicle bumper device in which the left and right portions of a bumper in the vehicle width direction are extensiblely connected to a vehicle body frame via left and right link mechanisms. , The right link mechanism is composed of first and second link arms rotatably connected to each other, and the front end of the first link arm is rotatable to the bumper and the rear end of the second link arm is rotatable to the body frame. An urging spring that connects the first and second link arms to each other in the extension direction of the bumper is a connecting point between the bumper and the first link arm, a connecting point between the first and second link arms, and a second link. While arranging at any two points of the connection point between the arm and the body frame,
It is characterized in that a stopper portion for restricting a rotation angle of each of the link arms is provided, and a bumper switch for detecting a displacement of the link arm is further provided.

[0007]

According to the vehicle bumper device of the present invention, the first
While connecting the tip of the link arm to the bumper,
Connect the rear end of the link arm to the tip of the body frame,
Since the urging spring of the first link arm is arranged at the connection point of the first link arm and the bumper or the second link arm, it is possible to arrange the urging spring between the conventional body frame and the link. It is not necessary to extend the vehicle body frame, and therefore the rotation range of the link arm is not restricted by the vehicle body frame, so that the contraction stroke amount of the bumper can be made large, and the impact force absorption capability can be improved.

Further, since the bumper switch for detecting the displacement of the link arm is provided, the vehicle speed can be greatly reduced during the bumper operation due to the increase in the bumper contraction stroke amount, and the impact force on the vehicle body can be reduced. Can be reduced.
Furthermore, because it is not necessary to extend the body frame,
It is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the vehicle body frame, simplify the structure, and reduce the cost.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 are views for explaining a vehicle bumper device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a case where the invention is applied to a bumper device of an automatic traveling golf car will be described as an example. 1 is a side view of a golf car, FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of a bumper device, FIG. 4 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 5 is a block configuration diagram of an automatic control device for a golf car. In the present embodiment, the terms left and right refer to the case where the vehicle is viewed in the traveling direction.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a passenger golf car of the present embodiment, which has a vehicle body 2 forming its skeleton, a steering device 3 for operating the traveling direction of steering wheels of the vehicle body 2, and the above vehicle body. A power unit 4 for supplying a driving force to the two drive wheels, and a control unit 5 for controlling the operating states of the steering unit 3, the power unit 4, etc.
It has and.

The vehicle body 2 has front wheels 6 and 6 as steering wheels arranged at the front portions of the left and right vehicle body frames 2a and 2b extending in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and rear wheels as driving wheels at the rear portion thereof. The wheels 7, 7 are arranged and the vehicle body frames 2a, 2b are provided.
The front bumper 8 is provided at the front end and the rear bumper 9 is provided at the rear end. Further, roof pillars 10, 10 and center roof pillars 11, 1 extending upward are provided at the front and center portions of the vehicle body frames 2a, 2b.
1 are connected to each other, and a roof 12 is arranged on the upper ends of the pillars 10 and 11.

A front panel 13 is provided at the front of the vehicle body 2.
However, a rear panel 14 is arranged at the rear part, and the floor panel 1 is provided between the two panels 13 and 14.
5 are provided. A container 16 such as a basket is mounted on the upper portion of the rear panel 14.
A seat cushion 17 is disposed in the front part of the. An armrest 20 is rotatably disposed at the right end of the cushion 17, and is attached to the center pillar 11 via a bracket.

A grab bar 22 is provided at the front of the seat cushion 17. This grab bar 2
2 is the frame 2 where the lower ends of the pair of support pipes 22a are
It is fixed to a and 2b, the other end is welded and connected at the central portion in the vehicle width direction, and the cushion material 22b is wound around this and fastened with a skin with fasteners. Further, the vehicle width dimension of the grab bar 22 is set to be equal to or larger than the dimension between the roof pillars 10 and 10, so that the disposing length of the cushion material 22b can be made large. Further, the gap between the grab bar 22 and the armrest 20 is set to be narrow, and is configured to surround the occupant.

The driver's seat facing the right side of the grab bar 22 is provided with a main switch 30, an emergency stop switch 31, a start / stop switch 32, a warning light, and an indicator light for switching between automatic and manual operations. Main operation panel 3
3 is attached to the auxiliary seat facing the left side, and a sub-operation panel 35 provided with only a start / stop switch 34 is attached to each of the auxiliary seats. It can be stopped.

In the steering device 3, a steering handle 41 is fixed to the upper end of the steering shaft 40, a rack and pinion gear unit 42 is connected to the lower end, and the gear unit 42 is connected via a tie rod 43 and a relay rod 44. It has a schematic structure connected to the knuckle arms 45a and 45b of the left and right front wheels 6 and 6. The steering shaft 40 and the steering handle 41 can be detached when they are exclusively used for automatic traveling.

The steering device 3 is provided with an automatic steering device 50 which operates during automatic traveling. The automatic steering device 50 fixes a steering motor 51 to the vehicle body frames 2a and 2b via a bracket, and outputs the output shaft of a reduction gear (not shown) connected to the motor 51 and the rack and pinion gear unit 42. The shaft and the knuckle arm 45b are connected to each other by a timing belt, and the rear end of the flat T-shaped sensor arm 53, which is swingably attached to the left and right, is connected to the knuckle arm 45b by a connecting rod 54.

A guide wire sensor 53a for detecting a guide wire (not shown) buried in the traveling path is arranged at the center, left and right of the sensor arm 53. Further, a fixed point sensor 55 for detecting a fixed point magnet provided in the middle of the guide wire is provided on the lower surface of the vehicle body frame 2b.

In the power unit 4, the rear arm 120 is suspended on the vehicle body frames 2a and 2b in the rear panel 14 via link members, and the engine 60 and the speed reducer 61 are mounted on the rear arm 120, respectively.
Is transmitted to the speed reducer 61 via the V-belt type continuously variable transmission 62, and the output of the speed reducer 61 is transmitted to the rear wheels 7, 7.

The carburetor 63 of the engine 60 is of a type in which the intake amount is controlled by a built-in throttle valve, and this throttle valve is connected to the switching device 64 by a wire (not shown). This switching device 64 uses the electromagnetic clutch 65 to connect the throttle valve to the stepping motor 6
6 or the floor panel 15 via the governor device 67.
It is switched and connected to any one of the accelerator pedals 68 arranged above. That is, in the manual mode, the governor device 67 controls the traveling speed according to the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 68 by the main controller 80 described later.
Controls the opening of the throttle valve. In the automatic mode, the electromagnetic clutch 65 is turned on and the stepping motor 66 controls the opening of the throttle valve.

A self-starter dynamo (hereinafter referred to as a cell dynamo) 69 is mounted on the crankshaft of the engine 60.
Are connected by a V-belt 70. The cell dynamo 69 performs engine starting and power generation for charging the battery 71. At this time, if the voltage of the battery 71 is higher than the set value, the voltage regulator 69a turns off the energization of the exciting coil of the cell dynamo 69 to prevent overcharging. Furthermore, the speed reducer 61 has a dynamo 7
2 are connected by a V-belt 73, and this dynamo 72 controls the traveling speed by dynamic braking using a resistor 74.

An electromagnetic brake 75 is arranged on the input shaft of the speed reducer 61. The electromagnetic brake 75 is energized when the vehicle is running to release the brake, and is de-energized when the vehicle is not running to operate as a parking brake.

Drum brakes 7a, 7a are mounted on the left and right rear wheels 7, 7, and the brakes 7a are connected to a switching device 76 by wires. The switching device 76 is switchably connected to either the brake drive motor 77 or the brake pedal 78 arranged on the floor panel 15. This is, for example, when the braking force of the dynamic braking is insufficient on a steep slope or the like. Alternatively, when it is desired to stop the vehicle quickly, the drum brake 7a is actuated for braking together with the dynamic braking or by the motor 77 alone. The brake pedal 78 and the accelerator pedal 68 can be removed with one touch when they are exclusively used for automatic traveling.

The controller 5 mainly comprises a main controller 80 for controlling the ignition system, carburetor, brake, etc. of the power unit 4, and an automatic steering unit 50 for the steering unit 3.
A steering motor controller 81 that controls the brake driving motor 77 and the like, and a brake driving motor controller 82 that controls the brake driving motor 77 and the like. The main controller 80 is housed in a unit box 80a made of steel plate, and is provided with an input section for reading in inputs from various sensors, a CPU for performing various arithmetic processes, and a brake output section for outputting brake control signals. .

The unit box 80a of the main controller 80 is arranged near the inner surface of the rear panel 14 at the rear of the seat cushion 17 and along the curved surface of the panel 14 so as to be inclined. The unit box 80a includes a first cover box 83 and a second cover box 84.
A water drain hole (not shown) is formed in the lower part of the inclined surface of the second cover box 84.

Further, maintenance holes (not shown) are formed in a portion of the rear panel 14 facing the unit box 80a and in a rear portion thereof, respectively, and lid members 14a, 14b are detachably arranged in the respective holes. It is set up. A seal member (not shown) fixed to the peripheral edge of the opening of the second cover box 84 is attached to the lid member 14a.
Are in contact.

In FIG. 5, 100 is a transmitter for remote control outside the vehicle, 101 is a remote control receiver for receiving a start / stop signal from the transmitter 100, and the receiver 101 is for the roof 12. The wiring 102 is disposed inside and is connected to the main controller 80 through the inside of the center roof pillar 11. Also 103,1
Reference numeral 04 denotes a steering relay and a main relay that are on / off controlled by the main controller 80. Reference numeral 105 denotes an induction fixed-point amplifier that amplifies the output of the induction wire sensor 53a.
Is a potentiometer, 107 is an ignition circuit, 108 is a current sensor, and 109 is a throttle sensor. Again 11
Reference numerals 1 and 112 are the above-mentioned indicator lamp and warning lamp, respectively.

Further, 113 is the seat cushion 17
This is a boarding switch disposed inside, which is turned on when an occupant is seated and performs a stop operation when the switch 113 is turned off for a certain period of time during traveling in the automatic or manual mode. Further, 114 and 115 are wheel rotation sensors (encoders) that measure the vehicle speed and the traveled distance. The CPU of the main controller 80 separately calculates the vehicle speed based on the detection values of these sensors 114 and 115, and the respective vehicle speed values. When the difference exceeds the set value, it is judged to be abnormal and the vehicle is stopped.

The front bumper 8 is supported by a bumper support device 23 which is a feature of this embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bumper support device 23 is configured so that the front bumper 8 can be extended and retracted via the first and second link arms 25 and 26 so as to extend and retract.
And has a bumper switch 27 for detecting the compressive displacement of the bumper 8.

Brackets 24a and 24a are provided at the left and right ends of the front bumper 8 and have rubber dampers 28a, respectively.
Is fastened by insert screw 28b through
The elastic deformation of the rubber damper 28a is designed to reduce the impact force at the time of collision.

A first tubular portion 25a and a second tubular portion 25b are welded to the front and rear ends of the first link arm 25, and the first tubular portion 25a is attached to the bracket 24a via a pin member 29a. Are rotatably connected. The second tubular portion 25b is connected to the front portion of the second link arm 26 via a pin member 29b so as to be relatively rotatable.

Fixing brackets 24b are respectively attached to bolts 24c at the left and right front end portions of the vehicle body frames 2a and 2b.
The third tubular portion 24d is welded to the front portion of the bracket 24b. This third tubular portion 24
In d, the rear part of the second link arm 26 is a pin member 29.
The front bumper 8 is rotatably connected via c, so that the front bumper 8 can extend and contract in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

A coil spring 36a for urging the first link arm 25 to rotate inward of the vehicle body is attached to the second tubular portion 29b. Further, the coil spring 3 for urging the second link arm 26 to rotate to the outside of the vehicle body is provided on the third tubular member 24d.
6b is mounted so that the front bumper 8 is always urged in the extension direction.

A stopper screw 37 is screwed onto the second link arm 26. The stopper screw 37 is in contact with a stopper portion 24e formed integrally with the fixed bracket 24b, whereby the rotation angle of the second link arm 26 in the urging direction is restricted to the size shown in FIG. Has been done. The stopper screw 37 is screwed in so that the position of the bumper 8 at the time of maximum extension can be adjusted back and forth.

Further, two rubber stoppers 38 are fitted on the front portion of the second link arm 26. The rubber stopper 38 is in contact with the stopper portion 25c formed in the rear portion of the first link arm 25 by bending, whereby the rotation angle of the first link arm 25 in the urging direction is as shown in FIG. It is regulated by size.

A cushioning member 39 made of rubber is fitted on the second link arm 26, and a stopper piece 25d is provided on the first link arm 25 so as to project outward. This is a stopper piece 25 when the bumper 8 is most compressed.
This is for alleviating the impact force on the vehicle body when d contacts the cushioning member 39.

The bumper switch 27 is bolted and fixed to the lower surface of the fixing bracket 24b via a mounting plate 27a. The bumper switch 2 is mounted on the mounting plate 27a.
An elongated bolt hole 27b for adjusting the operating position of No. 7 is formed. The bumper switch 27 is in contact with the protruding piece 26a of the second link arm 26, and the bumper switch 27 is normally turned on by the protruding piece 26a.

Next, an outline of running control of the golf car 1 will be described. First, the traveling speed control in the manual traveling mode is performed as follows. The pilot is the main switch 3
When 0 is switched to the manual mode and the accelerator pedal 68 is depressed, the main relay 104 turns on. Then, the current from the battery 71 flows to the cell dynamo 69, which causes the engine 60 to start via the V-belt 70. When the engine rotation speed becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the electromagnetic brake 75 is released and the automatic transmission 62 starts rotation transmission at the same time, whereby the golf car 1 starts running. Here, the traveling speed increases or decreases according to the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 68, but the maximum speed is limited by the governor device 67 to, for example, 6 to 10 km / h.

When the accelerator pedal 68 is released, the main relay 104 is turned off and the engine 6
0 stops, and the drum brake 7a is further operated by the operation of the brake pedal 78. After the golf car 1 is stopped, the electromagnetic brake 75 is operated to restrict the movement thereof.

Next, the traveling speed control in the automatic traveling mode is performed as follows. When the main switch 30 is switched to the automatic mode and the transmitter 100 or the start / stop switch 32 of the main operation panel 33 is turned on, the cell dynamo 69 starts the engine 60 in the same manner as in the manual mode. Automatic transmission 6 when engine speed exceeds a specified value
2 starts transmission of rotation, and the golf car 1 runs.
At this time, the throttle valve control of the carburetor 63 is switched to the opening / closing control by driving the stepping motor 66 by the electromagnetic clutch 65 and the switching device 64.

The steering control in the automatic driving mode is performed as follows. The steering motor controller 81 is responsive to the position detection signal of the guide wire from the guide wire sensor 53a.
Outputs a control signal to the steering motor 51, and the steering motor 5
1 rotates the input shaft of the rack and pinion gear unit 42, whereby the golf car 1 runs along the guide line.

When the vehicle collides with an obstacle during traveling in the automatic traveling mode, the contracting displacement of the front bumper 8 causes the first and second link arms 25 and 26 to rotate against the biasing force and absorb the impact force. In addition, the rotation of the second link arm 26 releases the pressing of the bumper switch 27, which turns off the switch 27, and the vehicle is stopped by the off signal. In this case, an OFF signal is output from the switch 27 at the initial stage of the rotation of the second link arm 26.

Next, the function and effect of this embodiment will be described. According to the bumper device 23 of this embodiment, the first and second link arms 25 and 26 are rotatably connected to each other, the first link arm 25 is connected to the front bumper 8, and the second link arm 26 is connected to the vehicle body frame 2a. Since the coil spring 36a for the first link arm 25 is arranged at the connection point with the second link arm 26, the coil spring 36a for the first link arm 25 is connected to the front end of the vehicle body 2b. It is not necessary to extend the frame forward, and therefore, the rotation range of the link is not restricted by the body frame, and the contraction displacement amount of the link arms 25 and 26 can be used as it is as the compression stroke amount of the bumper 8. . As a result, the contraction stroke amount can be made larger than that of the conventional device, and the shock absorbing capacity at the time of collision can be improved accordingly.

At the beginning of the rotation of the link arm 26, the bumper switch 27 is turned off, so that the vehicle is stopped while the front bumper 8 is contracting and displaced, and when the front bumper 8 makes a full stroke. The vehicle speed has dropped significantly. Therefore, the impact on the vehicle body is significantly reduced.

Further, the bumper device of the present embodiment has a structure in which the second link arm 26 is simply connected to the front ends of the vehicle body frames 2a and 2b, so that it is different from the conventional case where the link mechanism is incorporated in the vehicle body frame. As a result, the body frame can be downsized, the structure can be simplified, the entire device can be made compact, and the cost can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, when the coil springs 36a and 36b are attached to the connecting portion between the first and second link arms 25 and 26 and the connecting portion between the second link arm 26 and the fixed bracket 24b, respectively. However, the arrangement position of the biasing spring in the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a connecting portion between the first and second link arms 25 and 26,
And the first link arm 25 and the bumper side bracket 24
A biasing spring a may be provided at each of the connecting portions with a.
Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the urging springs a are provided at the connecting portion between the first link arm 25 and the bracket 24a and the connecting portion between the second link arm 26 and the fixed bracket 24b, respectively.
May be provided.

Further, in the above embodiment, the bumper switch 2
7 is arranged between the second link arm 26 and the fixed bracket 24b, the bumper switch 27 of the present invention is, for example, between the first link arm 25 and the bracket 24a, the first link arm 25 and the second link. It may be provided between the arm 26 and the arm 26 as long as it can detect the displacement of each link arm.

[0047]

As described above, according to the vehicle bumper device of the present invention, the first and second link arms that are relatively rotatably coupled are coupled to the bumper and the vehicle body frame, respectively.
Since the urging springs for the first and second link arms are arranged at the connection points of the bumper, the link arms, and the vehicle body frame, interference with the vehicle body frame can be avoided, and a large contraction stroke of the bumper can be achieved. This has the effect of improving the absorption capacity, significantly reducing the vehicle speed until the bumper makes a full stroke, and reducing the impact on the vehicle body. Further, the vehicle frame can be downsized and the structure can be simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view for explaining a bumper device for an automatic traveling golf car according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the golf car of the above embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view showing the bumper device of the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a main controller portion of the above embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a bumper device according to another example of the above embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a bumper device according to another example of the above embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Golf Car (Vehicle) 2a, 2b Body Frame 8 Bumper 23 Bumper Device 25 First Link Arm 25c, 24e Stopper 26 Second Link Arm 27 Bumper Switch 36a, 36b Coil Spring (Biasing Spring)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A bumper device for an automatic vehicle, wherein left and right parts of a bumper in a vehicle width direction are extensiblely connected to a vehicle body frame via left and right link mechanisms, wherein the left and right link mechanisms are provided. The first and second link arms are rotatably connected to each other. The front end of the first link arm is rotatably connected to the bumper and the rear end of the second link arm is rotatably connected to the vehicle body frame. 1, a biasing spring for biasing the second link arm in the extension direction of the bumper, a connection point between the bumper and the first link arm, a connection point between the first and second link arms, a second link arm and the vehicle body frame, Is provided at any two connecting points, and a stopper portion for restricting the rotation angle of each of the link arms is provided.
Alternatively, a bumper device for an autonomous vehicle, which is provided with a bumper switch that detects a displacement of the second link arm.