JPS5992226A - Signal transmitter for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable to accurately transmit a signal by electromagnetically transmitting various switch signals provided at a steering wheel from a signal processor and the steering wheel side to a stationary side through a coupler, thereby preventing the improper contact. CONSTITUTION:An ON/OFF signal of switch group 1 provided at a steering wheel is encoded by an encoder 2, fed through a coupler 3 to a decoder 4 of stationary side, demodulated and ON or OFF is detected. This coupler 3 is composed in a transformer manner oppositvely of a movable side coil 8 wound through a supporting member 7 around a steering wheel shaft 6 and a stationary side coil 11 wound outside of the stationary unit 10 for rotatably supporting the shaft 6 through a bearing 9, and an encoded signal from the encoder 2 is transmitted to the stationary side without influence to the rotation of the steering wheel 5. Accordingly, improper contacts or noise are not generated, the signals can be accurately transmitted, many switches can be mounted of the steering wheel, and the safety of the operation can be enhanced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a signal transmission device for a vehicle that transmits signals from a switch provided on a steering wheel of a vehicle.

Conventionally, a switch for sounding the horn has been attached to the steering wheel of an automobile. The signal from this switch was routed through a slip ring to the outside of the steering wheel, activating a relay that supplied current to the horn.

By the way, if switches for controlling various devices are attached to the steering wheel, the switches are always at hand and the driver can operate the switches while always paying attention to the road ahead, thereby improving safety. In the past, for example, drivers had to reach far away to operate switches such as radios and air conditioners, and when doing so, they often neglected to pay attention to what was ahead. Also, depending on the car model, the headlights can be switched upward or downward on the instrument panel, and recently, various switches have been installed for cruise control, mirror control, and opening/closing the windows. Unfortunately, I was sometimes distracted by operating these switches.

The present invention relates to signal transmission when these switches are installed on a handle.Since the handle generally rotates left and right twice, bending force is always applied to the wires connected to the switches, and there is a risk of the wires breaking. Generally, signals are sent through a slip ring. However, slip rings are prone to poor contact and noise because the contacts move on the ring, making them unsuitable for transmitting minute signals and prone to malfunctions.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above.
A signal for a moving vehicle that can accurately send signals from various switches installed on the steering wheel of a car to a stationary part, making it possible to install multiple switches on the steering wheel and safely operate the switches. The purpose is to provide transmission equipment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, on/off signals from a switch group 1 installed on the steering wheel of an automobile are encoded by an encoder 2 and sent out. This signal is sent to coupler 3.
is transmitted between the moving and stationary parts of the handle. In the coupler 3, the signals are coupled and transmitted electromagnetically.

The signal obtained through the coupler 3 is demodulated by the decoder 4, and it is possible to detect which switch in the switch group 1 is on and which switch is off, and the on/off signals can be used to operate various devices. Then ＼ is possible.

The signal encoded by the encoder 2 may be sent serially via one coupler 3 as shown in FIG. 1, or may be sent in parallel via multiple couplers 3 as shown in FIG. You can also send it to

The coupler 3 is a type of transformer, and as shown in FIG.
The movable coil 8 is wound and fixed via a bearing 9, and the stationary coil 11 is wound and fixed on the outside of a stationary part 10 which rotatably supports the handle shaft 6. configured. Here, when the signal sent from the encoder 2 is applied to the coupler 3 and a current flows through the movable coil 8, a magnetic field is generated in the direction of the dotted arrow A, and due to electromagnetic action, the stationary coil 11 is A voltage corresponding to the signal is induced, and the signal is transmitted from the rotating side to the stationary side. In this case, since the coils 8 and 11 are formed so as to surround the handle shaft 6, they are not magnetically affected by the rotation of the handle shaft 6, and the signal is transmitted from the coil 8 to the coil 11. transmitted to. Moreover, since multiple signals are transmitted in a non-contact manner, accurate signal transmission is performed without causing poor contact or noise unlike the conventional slip ring type. thus,
The signal transmitted to the stationary coil 11 is subjected to multi-signal processing by the decoder 4, and a rung is lit or an actuator is activated in response to the on/off of each switch in the switch group 1.

FIG. 4 (4), a3) shows another embodiment of the coupler 3, in which each coil 8, 11 is divided into a plurality of pieces, and the function is almost the same as that of the previous embodiment. It is.

Note that the direction of signal transmission does not have to be limited to one direction from the handle side to the stationary side; if encoders and decoders are provided on both sides, signals can be transmitted bidirectionally via a coupler.

As described above, in the present invention, the signal from the switch installed on the handle is transmitted to the stationary side via the signal processing device and the coupler that electromagnetically transmits the signal from the handle side to the stationary side. Since the signal transmission is non-contact, it is possible to accurately transmit signals from the handle side to the stationary side without being bothered by poor contact or noise generation as in the past.

In addition, many switches can be attached to the steering wheel of a car, and various devices can be operated using these switches, so the driver can operate various devices with the switches at hand while paying attention to the road ahead. This can improve driving safety.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the first embodiment of the device of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a second embodiment of the device of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the first embodiment of the coupler of the present invention.
FIGS. 4(5) and 4(B) respectively show the second coupler according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view and a cross-sectional plan view taken along the line AA' of the embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Switch group, 2...Encoder, 3...Coupler, 4...Decoder, 5...Handle, 6...
Handle shaft, 8...Movable side coil, 1O...Stationary part, 11...Stationary side coil. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or corresponding parts. Agent Makoto Kuzuno - Figure 1 Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 (△)

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In an automobile signal transmission device that transmits signals from various switches installed on the steering wheel of the automobile to a stationary part,
Signal transmission for an automobile, comprising: a signal processing device that processes signals from various switches; and a coupler that electromagnetically couples the rotating part of the steering wheel and the stationary part to transmit signals therebetween. Device.