JPH0781806B2 - Method and device for displaying change state of thrust angle in vehicle - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the direction of a vehicle body in a straight traveling state in an automobile, mainly a passenger vehicle (the direction of the geometrical center line of the vehicle body) and the traveling direction of the vehicle body (the direction of the thrust line of the vehicle body). Normal or abnormal change in angle difference (thrust angle)
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for displaying the activation status.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A. Influence of Abnormal Thrust Angle Generally, a car body traveling line (thrust line) with respect to an imaginary center line of the car body (hereinafter referred to as "car body center line")
If there is a large angle difference (thrust angle) in the direction of a, the car will move straight at an angle, and in extreme cases, the rear part will hit something even if the front part of the car passes, It may cause rollover when going straight on the road, b, the center of the steering wheel is misaligned, c, when cornering left and right, one side is oversteer and the other side is understeer, the curve can not be bent or it may turn into an oncoming lane. It may lead to an accident such as a plunge. D. Only one side will come back when cornering. E. When the vehicle is dismounted with the steering wheel in a straight position, the front wheels will move to the left or right when looking at the vehicle from the front. Even if the steering wheel is adjusted to the correct position using f, a wheel alignment tester, etc. The center of the roll does not match, g. When receiving an eccentric load due to the eccentric position of the occupant or one-sided load during sudden acceleration or when turning a curve, it is necessary to steer toward the opposite side, which is the same as the ski bogen. There are serious inconveniences such as turning, h, standing wave hitting the road surface or shimmy motion causing steering wheel vibration, i, uneven wear on the tire tread, and sudden burst during running. Occurs.

B. Causes and Background of Abnormal Thrust Angle The abnormal thrust angle as described above is caused by the imbalance of the toe of the rear wheel, the lateral displacement of the mounting portion of the front member and the lower control arm due to the accident of the front wheel (the center line of the vehicle body). Change of the rear wheel shaft, bending of the rear wheel shaft, breakage of the center bolt of the leaf spring, and retraction of the rear axle due to loosening of the U bolt, etc., and it is also related to the chamber, casters and other elements of overall wheel alignment.

However, in addition to these causes, domestic automobiles in Japan are extremely fuel-saving, as can be seen in the administrative guidance (notification) that a 10-20% reduction in fuel consumption should be produced as a long-term goal. The aim is to reduce the weight (= reducing strength), and because the emphasis is on the ground contact performance to the road surface in response to the high-speed era, it is easy to add external force to the body while driving. One of the reasons is that the center (of high rigidity and high weight) and the flexible structure make the underbody part, which is a joint part of the front part and the rear part, which receives a concentrated load particularly easily distorted.

In the case of a regenerated vehicle after an accident, the strain due to the welding temperature, the corrective strain, etc. are not strictly measured, and the vehicle is left for running without being subjected to a safety completion inspection. It is not rare that the above-mentioned thrust angle deviation occurs due to a vehicle inspection (vehicle inspection).

C. Background of Abnormal Thrust Angle Left behind As described above, the reason why the thrust angle, which has a serious influence on the safety, stable running, and driving operation of an automobile, is relatively neglected is the vehicle safety standard of Japan. Is based on what was created just after the war, when cars were not widely used,
In addition to the inadequate wheel alignment display method, the standard values for mileage and speed are low, and the check items such as the dimensions, angles, and strengths of the vehicle body are extremely small compared to Europe, which is a major factor. .

[0007] Therefore, at the present time when the popularity of automobiles has become one of the most prominent in the world, it is no longer suitable for driving on developed highways and even on general roads for maintenance. For example, in the current inspection standard, the toe display indicates the tread portion of the left and right tires by the difference in distance between the front and the rear, such as "toe-in mm", which means the toe-thrust angle and the so-called "20 ° rotation angle". Is difficult to relate to.

Further, the wheel alignment of a vehicle as described above cannot be accurately and easily grasped without a precise wheel alignment tester by a computer, but at the vehicle inspection stations in Japan, there are few check items for vehicle inspection. Due to the gradual standard value, accurate wheel alignment testers are not widely used except for some parts, and it is difficult to find wheel alignment failure even at general maintenance plants and vehicle inspection stations.

As described above, the defective wheel alignment and the abnormal thrust angle have serious implications for the safety of the vehicle, and it is presumed that the defective wheel alignment is caused even in an accident such as an actual curve at a high speed. However, there is a problem that it is neglected as the cause of the accident.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above situation, the present invention provides a user with a normal or abnormal thrust angle by simply estimating and displaying the thrust angle with respect to a deficiency such as wheel alignment which causes an abnormal thrust angle. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a state display device for a thrust angle in a vehicle, which enables safety maintenance at the discretion of a user in an abnormal state.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a steering wheel 14 is fixed to an upper end of a fixed portion having a column tube 17 fixedly attached to the vehicle body 1 side. In a mechanism in which a movable portion including a steering shaft 13 is rotatably supported, a fixed portion side and a movable portion side correspond to each other so that the reference positions coincide with each other in a normal thrust angle θ of the vehicle. Display units 18 and 19 are provided on the steering wheel , and the steering wheel 14 is stopped.
It was are characterized in that a configuration of displaying the normal or abnormal state of the thrust angle θ of the vehicle by the relative positional relationship between the display portions 18 and 19 in the straight running condition of the vehicle,
The display parts 18 and 19 include those having an attachable structure that can be fixed or adhered to either or both of the fixed part side and the movable part side.

In the above invention, the display units 18, 19 are also provided.
In some cases, the indicator portion is provided on one side and the scale portion is provided on the other side so that they correspond to each other, and the degree of abnormality of the thrust angle is represented by the position of the scale portion indicated by the indicator portion.

Still another aspect of the present invention is such that a movable portion having a steering shaft 13 having a steering wheel 14 fixed to an upper end thereof is rotatably attached to a fixed portion having a column tube 17 fixedly attached to the vehicle body 1 side. fixed in axially supported by a mechanism, in the straight running state of the vehicle that has stopped the steering wheel 14, by detecting the positional deviation of the fixed portion side and the movable side, a detection device 23 for detecting the state of the thrust angle of the vehicle The confirmation display device 26 is provided at a corresponding position between the movable portion side and the movable portion side, is connected to the detection device 23 at an arbitrary position in the driver's seat, and displays or informs a normal or abnormal state of the thrust angle θ. It is characterized by the provision of.

[0014]

In the above invention, the positional deviation between the fixed portions of the steering device 9 including the column tube 17 side and the steering wheel 14 side and the display portions 18 and 19 on the movable portion side is caused by the thrust angle θ in the straight traveling state. Correspondingly, the state of the thrust angle θ can be read by the display units 18 and 19. The display portions 18 and 19 can be attached to the fixed portion side and the movable portion side by attaching or screwing. It is also possible to provide a positional deviation detection device 23 on the fixed portion side and the movable portion side and electrically display this on the confirmation display device 26 for confirmation .

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a change state of a thrust angle of an automobile mainly determined by a toe of a rear wheel. A geometrical center line (vehicle body center line) A of a vehicle body 1 is represented by front and rear wheels 3a, 3a.
b, 4a, 4b axles (center of axle for independent suspension) 5,
6 is represented by a center line connecting the left and right intermediate positions P ₁ and P _2, and the toe 7a, 7b on the left and right of the rear wheel is represented by a deflection angle in the left-right direction with respect to the vehicle body center line A of the wheels 4a, 4b. A straight line B ₁ or B ₂ connecting an intersection point P ₃ or P _{4 at} the front or rear of the longitudinal centerlines a and b of the left and right rear wheels 4a and 4b and the axle center P ₂ is the thrust line of the vehicle body 1. In addition to representing the (vehicle body traveling direction), the angles θ ₁ and θ ₂ formed by the thrust lines B ₁ and B ₂ and the vehicle body center line A form a thrust angle (thrust angle). Reference numerals 8a and 8b represent toes of the front wheels 3a and 3b.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the arrangement of the display device with respect to the arrangement of the front and rear wheels of the automobile and the steering device 9. The front and rear axles 5, 6 are connected by a transmission 11 and a propeller shaft 12. The steering device 9 is provided with a column box 16 which supports a steering wheel (handle) 14 by rotatably supporting a steering shaft 13 in a driver's cab, and the steering shaft 13 is inserted into the column box 16. A column tube 17 is provided. The column tube 17 and the column box 16 form a fixed portion fixed to the vehicle body 1 side, while the steering shaft 13 and the steering wheel 14 side form a movable portion that rotates with a steering operation.

The steering box 16 (fixed portion)
On the upper surfaces of the boss portion 15 (movable portion) of the steering wheel 14 that are close to each other, a fixed display portion 18 that displays a reference line Ao indicating the proper position of the vehicle body center A in the axial direction of the column tube 7, and a vehicle straight ahead A movable display section (instruction section) 19 that points the center position (center line Bo) of the steering wheel toward the fixed display section 18 when traveling is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B), on the fixed display section 18 side, the movable display section 19 moves to the left and right from the reference line Ao to the left and right, to the left and right of the reference line Ao. ) Scale parts a _{1 to} a ₃ and b ₁
~b ₃ is attached. Deflection of the left and right with respect to the reference line Ao of the movable display unit 19 when the vehicle straight running (reference line Bo) in the display device (shift), the thrust angle B ₁ or B ₂
The amount of the correspond, by visually confirming this deflection, the driver can determine the degree of risk from the same time or a degree abnormal thrust angle of the vehicle while driving, at the same time the development of wheel alignment It will be possible to judge whether or not.

[0019] The scale _{a 1 ~a 3, b 1 ~b} 3 like normal as shown, may be represented by the gridlines or color classified as range of only the safety degree degree of the abnormality, the thrust angle B with these ₁ and B ₂ themselves may be represented. The fixed display portion 18 and the movable display portion 19 may be formed or stamped on the fixed portion side and the movable portion side in advance when molding these parts.
After assembling the column device, it may be a plate attached to the position by screwing or the like, or may be a sheet-like member. If it is attached after assembly, it is possible to deal with processing of the column device and assembly error, and there is an advantage that it can be used in existing vehicles. It is also possible to attach the scale part and the indicator part with the fixed side and the movable side reversed, and if the thrust angle can be judged by the shape of the fixed part side and the movable part side, display the display part on only one side. It's enough if you provide
Furthermore, the shapes of the adjacent positions corresponding to each other can be made special and changed to the display section.

In FIG. 4, a scale 21 using a bar code or magnetism is provided on the fixed side of the steering device 9, and a detection device 23 having a reading sensor 22 such as a fort sensor or a magnetic sensor is provided on the movable side. The confirmation display device 2 is provided at an arbitrary position in the driver's cab via a processing device 24 that processes a read signal from the sensor 22 by a microcomputer or the like.
The thrust angle is displayed at 6. On the display surface of the confirmation display device 26, the left or right thrust angle and its safety degree are electronically displayed. The confirmation display device 26 is
The present invention is not limited to a visual display, but may be, for example, an audio monitor device that emits an alarm sound.

In addition to the above, for example, as shown by phantom lines in FIG. 2, the axles 5, 5 are located close to the front wheels 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b.
On the 6 side, the direction of the vehicle body center line A and the toe 7 of the rear wheels 4a, 4b
Detection devices 27 and 28 for detecting a and 7b are respectively provided, and a confirmation display device 29 for calculating and displaying a value by these detection signals by a microcomputer or the like is provided at an arbitrary position inside the driver's seat. . Assuming that the vehicle body center line A is normal, only the rear wheel toe detection device 28 may be used. The detection devices 27 and 28 include an optical type, a magnetic type,
Known sensors such as power generation type and pulse generation type are used,
The display of the confirmation display device 29 may be the same as that shown in FIG. 4, but the left and right toe-in / toe-out and the left or right thrust angle and safety may be displayed. According to this device, since the toe is directly measured and calculated, the numerical value is accurate, and if the toe itself is displayed, it can be used for maintenance of wheel alignment such as correction of the toe.

[0022]

According to the apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, the deviation of the reference position of the steering wheel, which is represented in correspondence with the abnormality of the thrust angle of the automobile, is displayed or detected as the amount of deviation or deflection. because the display, also it can be confirmed immediately by direct visual check in the driver's seat for the driver
It is very easy to detect dangers and malfunctions due to the deviation between the center of the vehicle body and the traveling direction of the vehicle, and it is necessary to wait for inspection at a repair shop or vehicle inspection station where special wheel alignment testers are prepared as in the past. Absent.

As a result, it is possible to easily check and repair the defective wheel alignment, which appears as an abnormal thrust angle, if necessary, and a traffic accident caused by the abnormal thrust angle can be easily managed by the driver. There is an advantage that can be prevented. Further, since the object can be achieved if the deviation and the amount of the reference position of the steering wheel are known, the principle and configuration of the display device are simple and inexpensive, and the formation and mounting are easy .

As a result, it is possible to prevent a traffic accident due to the inadequate wheel alignment, which has been neglected or overlooked in the related art, in advance, and the traffic safety is greatly improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between an imaginary center line of an automobile and a thrust line.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a front and rear suspension portion of a vehicle together with an embodiment of the present invention.

3A and 3B are a plan view and a partially enlarged plan view of a display device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a device configuration of another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 vehicle body 4a, 4b rear wheel 6 rear wheel shaft 7a, 7b toe 13 steering shaft 14 column tube 16 column box 18 fixed display section 19 movable display section 23 detection apparatus 26 confirmation display apparatus 27, 28 detection apparatus 29 confirmation display apparatus A some Center line B ₁ , B ₂ Thrust line θ, (θ ₁ , θ ₂ ) Thrust angle

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI technical display location B62D 113: 00

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A body center line (A) of a body (1)
The thrust lines (B ₁ ) and (B ₂ ) of the vehicle body (1)
Check that the thrust angle (θ) of the vehicle is normal and
With the column alignment adjusted, the column tube
A fixed display section (18) provided on the fixed section on the (17) side;
The steering shuffle is located close to the fixed display (18).
(13) The reference with the movable display part (19) provided on the side
The display positions are
When the normal thrust angle (θ) changes,
The amount of change goes straight on the vehicle with the steering wheel stopped
Movable with respect to the fixed display section (18) in the running state
Display as the amount of displacement of the display position of the display unit (19)
This helps to determine whether the thrust angle (θ) of the vehicle is normal or abnormal.
A method for displaying the change state of the thrust angle of the vehicle to be confirmed . 2. Fixedly attached to the vehicle body (1) side
The column tube (17) with
Stearin with fixed tearing wheel (14)
A movable part equipped with a shaft (13) is rotatably supported.
The normal thrust angle (θ) of the vehicle
The fixed part side and the movable part side so that the reference positions match.
Display units (18) and (19) are installed at the corresponding proximity positions of
The vehicle with the steering wheel (14) stopped.
Relative of the display units (18) and (19) in the traveling state
The normal thrust angle (θ) of the vehicle or
A thrust angle change state display device for a vehicle configured to display an abnormal state . 3. The display parts (18), (19) are on the fixed part side.
It can be fixed or attached to either or both of
The thrust angle change state display device for a vehicle according to claim 1, which has an attachable structure . 4. A finger is provided on one of the display units (18) and (19).
The indicator part is provided, and the other part is provided with a scale part so that they correspond to each other.
Depending on the position of the scale pointed by the indicator, the thrust angle may be abnormal.
The thrust angle change state display device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, which is configured to indicate a degree . 5. Fixedly mounted on the vehicle body (1) side
The column tube ( 17) with
Stearin with fixed tearing wheel (14)
A movable part equipped with a shaft (13) is rotatably supported.
Stop the steering wheel (14) in the mechanism
Fixed part side and movable part side when the vehicle is running straight
By detecting the position deviation of the
The detection device (23) for detecting the state is provided on the fixed part side and the movable part side
At the corresponding position of the
The thrust angle (θ) is normal or
A confirmation display device (26) for displaying or notifying the normal state
A change state display device of a thrust angle in a vehicle provided .