JPS6218350A - Proceeding direction sensing device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the accuracy of detection by allowing a device to be composed of a case which is fixed on a vehicle body, and a rotor which is rotatably supported within the case, so as to detect a relative change between the case and the rotor in that device as referred to the title which is suitable to an automatic winder cancelling device and the like for an auto bicycle. CONSTITUTION:This proceeding direction sensing device is mounted on a specified place of a body while a case 50 which is composed of a case body 50a in a form of a cylinder with a bottom and a cover 50b, is levelled. When a vehicle which has been proceeding atraight ahead, makes a right or a left turn, the case 50 moves while it rotates allowing a shaft 51 which projects up from a bottom center of the case body 50a, to rotate acoompanied with the vehicle movement. However, a fly wheel 54 made of a heavy material does not follow the rotation of the shaft 51 keeping standing still because of its static inertia. As this causes a point of the inner surcumferential surface 54b of the fly wheel 54 to move where the said point is irradiated by a photocoupler 53, and the said surface is printed in a pattern of a black and a while strip of a regular width spaced one after the other. Then a signal is processed upon receiving the reflected beam of the said irradiation so as to detect the change of the proceeding direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Technical Field) The present invention relates to a vehicle traveling direction detector, and more particularly to a mounting structure for a vehicle traveling direction detecting device.

(Technical background of the invention and its problems) As is well known, vehicles in recent years are equipped with automatic turn signal canceling devices that automatically stop the blinking lights of turn signal lamps, but this is not the case for vehicles aimed at the general public, such as so-called family motorcycles. It is desired that small motorcycles and the like be equipped with this device.

Therefore, it is conceivable to configure the traveling direction detection device mainly using a gyroscope. However, gyroscopes have a complicated structure and are expensive, so they cannot be installed as an automatic turn signal canceling device in the above-mentioned general public vehicles.

On the other hand, in order to maintain detection accuracy, this type of traveling direction detection device needs to be able to employ a mounting structure that is not susceptible to the effects of vehicle rocking, vibration, etc.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a vehicle traveling direction detection device that enables the adoption of a mounting structure that is less susceptible to the effects of rocking, vibration, etc. of the vehicle body. The purpose is to

(Structure of the Invention) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a case that rotates in a horizontal plane integrally with the vehicle in response to a change in the traveling direction of the vehicle; A rotor whose rotating shaft ends are rotatably supported on both sides of the case in the vertical direction, and a detection section that detects relative displacement between the case and the rotor, and a cushioning material is provided below the approximate center of the vehicle body. Provided is a vehicle traveling direction detection device characterized in that it is held horizontally through a vehicle.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of a traveling direction detection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a case 50 includes a bottomed cylindrical case body 50a and a lid 50b that closes the opening of the case body 50a.
It consists of A shaft portion 51 is located at the center of the inner bottom surface of the case body 60a, and the shaft portion 51 and the case body 50a are connected to each other.
A protrusion 62 is provided protrudingly between the side walls of each. The shaft portion 51 has a long axis such that it projects outward from the opening of the case body 50a. Further, the protrusion 52 is shorter than the shaft 51, and a photocoupler 53 is disposed on its head.

On the other hand, the flywheel 54 housed in the case 50 is made of a heavy material such as iron and is formed into a disc shape whose outer diameter is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the case body 50a. This flywheel 54 has a bearing portion 54 at the center of one side thereof.
a, and a rib 54b on the outer peripheral edge of the bearing portion 54a.
They are respectively protruded in the same protruding direction. and,
White bands and black bands (both not shown) of a predetermined width are alternately printed on the inner surface of the rib 54b.

Such a flywheel 54 is constructed by fitting the shaft portion 51 into the bearing portion 54a with the bearing portion 54a and ribs 54b facing the bottom side of the case body 50a.
inserted within. Then, the ball bearings 55 and 56 disposed at both ends of the bearing portion 54a come into sliding contact with the shaft portion 51, and as a result, the flywheel 54 is rotatably supported by the shaft portion 51. At this time, the rib 54b is interposed between the protrusion 52 and the side wall of the case body 50a, and its inner peripheral surface is curved so as to face the photocoupler 53. That is, the photocoupler 53 is connected to a signal processing circuit (not shown), receives power from the signal processing circuit, irradiates the inner circumferential surface of the rib 54b, receives reflected light from the inner circumferential surface of the rib 54b, and generates the white zone detection signal. The signal is sent to a signal processing circuit.

The traveling direction detecting device configured as described above is horizontally supported on a predetermined part of the vehicle body (not shown), and when the vehicle changes its traveling direction from the straight traveling direction to the right or left, case 5
0 rotates integrally with the vehicle body, and the shaft portion 51 rotates accordingly. However, since the flywheel 54 is made of heavy material, it does not follow the rotation of the shaft portion 51 due to its large static inertia and remains stationary. In other words, since the photocoupler 53 moves integrally with the case 50, as the vehicle changes its traveling direction, the photocoupler 53 moves along the lip 54b.
The irradiation position for irradiating the inner peripheral surface moves within a horizontal plane.

As a result, when the irradiation position moves from the black belt to the white belt, reflected light is received, and when the irradiation position moves from the white belt to the black belt, the reflected light disappears. This makes it possible to detect a change in the direction of travel, such as when the vehicle moves from running straight to turning to the left or right, and then to moving straight.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of a traveling direction detecting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, in FIG. 2, the right half and the left half with respect to the illustrated center line are drawn to show different operation modes.

In FIG. 2, a case 2 is horizontally supported on a vehicle body 3 via a rubber material 2 as a cushioning material. The case 1 is formed of synthetic resin such as plastic into a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and the opening thereof is widened to form a stepped portion 1a, and a bearing recess 1b is formed at the center of the bottom surface.

The inner case 4 has a ring-shaped insertion recess 4a whose outer peripheral surface slides into engagement with the inner peripheral surface of the opening when inserted into the opening of the case, and a ring-shaped insertion recess 4a that protrudes from the middle part of the outer peripheral surface of the insertion recess 4a. When the insertion recess 4a is inserted into the opening, the insertion recess 4a abuts and engages with the upper flat surface of the stepped portion 1a.
A bearing that connects the inner wall of the insertion recess 4a with the flange 4b that regulates the push-in distance through a step 4C, and forms a bearing 4e at the axial center position of a vertical cylindrical portion 4d that stands upright from the step 4C. When the inner case 4 is installed in the opening of the case 1, the bearing 4e is positioned directly above the bearing recess 1b. In this embodiment, the inner case 4 is made of transparent synthetic resin.

The rotating shaft 6 of the rotor 5 disposed on the bottom side of the case 1 is rotatably supported at both ends by the bearing recess 1b and the bearing 4e. )
fins 7 are provided protrudingly. Each fin 7 is formed in an abbreviated shape and is disposed on the radially outer end side of the rotor 5 so as to largely protrude upward from the upper end surface of the rotor 5.

A donut disc-shaped restraining plate 8 is fixed to the end face of each fin 7 that projects upward from the upper end face of the rotor 5, and the inner peripheral end of this restraining plate 8 is located inside the protruding inner peripheral side of each fin 7. It stands out.

Further, on the rotating shaft 6 above the rotor 5, a clutch plate 9, a pulser 10, and a pulser-zide 11 are supported in the order of upward movement from the rotor 5 side so as to be vertically movable. First, one end of a coil spring 12 that wraps around the rotating shaft 6 is fitted into the lower surface side of the lowest clutch plate 9, and the other end of this coil spring 12 is in contact with the upper end surface of the rotor 5. That is, the clutch plate 9 is always urged upward by the coil spring 12 so as to come into close contact with the lower end surface of the pulser 10. Further, the pulser lO has a cylindrical portion 10a whose side circumferential surface faces the inner wall circumferential surface of the insertion recess 4a, and a cylindrical portion 10a which is located at the lower end of this cylindrical portion 10a and protrudes outward from the side circumferential surface, and which is attached to the restraining plate 8. It consists of a locking portion 10b that can be locked on the lower surface of the protruding inner peripheral end. Furthermore, the uppermost pulsarzide 11 has a cylindrical part 11a whose side circumferential surface moves up and down within the vertical cylindrical part 4d, and a cylindrical part 11a at the lower end of the cylindrical part 11a, which has approximately the same diameter as the cylindrical part 10a of the pulsar lO. This balser guide 11 is always urged downward by a coil spring 13 inserted between the upper end of the vertical cylindrical portion 4d and the upper surface of the base of the engaging portion 11b. The lower surface of the mating portion 11b and the upper surface of the columnar portion 10c are adapted to engage with each other as shown in FIG. That is,
Engagement teeth 11c, 10c that can be engaged with each other are formed on the lower surface of the engagement portion 11b and the upper surface of the cylindrical portion 10a. On the peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 10c of the pulser 10, a white band 21 and a black band 22 of a predetermined width are printed, for example, at intervals of 90''.

Next, a printed circuit board 14 on which various components such as a transistor Tr constituting a signal processing circuit are mounted is arranged in the insertion recess 4a, and a photocoupler 15 is fixed to this printed circuit board 14 and connected to the processing circuit. There is. The photocoupler 15 is inserted into the pulsar 1 through the inner wall surface of the insertion recess 4a.
It is arranged so as to irradiate the side peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 10c of 0 and receive the reflected light therefrom.

Further, a solenoid 16 is fitted into the outer periphery of the vertical cylindrical portion 4d of the inner case 4, and when the solenoid 16 is energized, it lifts the pulser guide 11 upward against the biasing force of the coil spring 13, thereby causing the engagement. teeth 10
c, llc are disengaged.

A light-transmitting viscous fluid 17 such as silicone oil is injected into the space between the case 1 and the inner case 4 up to the vicinity of the upper surface of the stepped portion 1a of the case 1. That is, the rotor 5, fins 7, etc. are in the viscous fluid 17. This viscous fluid 17 is poured into the injection hole 4f shown on the left end side of the inner case 4 after housing the above-mentioned elements related to the rotating shaft 6 in the case 1 and closing the opening of the case 1 with the inner case 4.
It is injected and filled. After the injection of the viscous fluid 17 is completed, the injection hole 4f is welded and closed as shown in the figure.

Incidentally, reference numeral 18 denotes a cover that elastically engages with the lower surface of the stepped portion 1a of the case 1 and covers the entire upper surface of the inner panel 4 including the solenoid 16.

In the traveling direction detection device configured as described above, when the solenoid 16 is in a demagnetized state, the pulsar guide 11 is urged downward by the coil spring 13 as shown on the left side from the center line in the drawing. , descends along the rotating shaft 6 and pushes down the balsa 10 and clutch plate 9. As a result, the lower surface of the clutch plate 9 comes into close contact with the upper surface of the rotor 5 against the biasing force of the coil spring 12, locking the rotor 5 so that it cannot rotate. At the same time, the engaging teeth 11c.

The engagement of 10c causes the balsa lO to be pulled back from an arbitrary rotational position to a predetermined initial position.

When the solenoid 16 is energized, the balser guide 11 is pulled up against the biasing force of the coil spring 13, as shown on the right side from the center line in the figure, so that the locking teeth 11c and 10c are engaged with each other. The connection is canceled. Then, the coil spring 12 causes the clutch plate 9 and the balsa 10 to rise along the rotating shaft 6, and the locking portion 10b of the balsa 10 comes into contact with the restraining plate 8. That is, the balsa 10 is integrated with the rotor 5. Since the rotor 5 has been unlocked, it is in a rotatable state.

When a vehicle (not shown) turns to the right or to the left in such a state, the case 1 rotates integrally with the vehicle body 3 and tries to rotate the rotating shaft 6 in the turning direction. However, since the viscous fluid 17 does not follow the rotational movement of the case 1 and remains stationary, this stationary holding force acts on the fins 7 and prevents the rotor 5 from rotating. On the other hand, since the photocoupler 15 moves integrally with the case 1, the irradiation position at which the side peripheral surface of the balsa 10 is irradiated changes as the case 1 rotates. As a result, when the irradiation position moves from the black belt 22 to the white belt 21, reflected light is received, and from the white belt 21 to the black belt 21, the reflected light is received.
When you move to , the reflected light disappears. As a result, the first
Similar to the embodiment, changes in the traveling direction of the vehicle can be detected.

Here, since the printed circuit board 14 on which the signal processing circuit is mounted can be incorporated into the detection device, the entire device including the signal processing circuit can be made very compact.

In the second embodiment, the inner case 4 is made of transparent synthetic resin, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the inner case may be made of transparent material only at the portion where the photocoupler 15 emits and receives light. It may be made up of the body.

Next, an example of the mounting structure is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 4 shows a motorcycle, and the detection device 31 is located at the fifth point below the center of the vehicle body, where there is relatively little rocking.
It is supported horizontally as shown.

That is, in FIG. 5, reference numeral 41 is a floor of the motorcycle, and a box-shaped depression 43 is formed on a vehicle body inclined surface 42 that gradually rises from the floor 41 toward the rear side of the motorcycle. The inner bottom surface of the depressed portion 43 is a horizontal surface that is substantially parallel to the ground, and the detection device 31 is placed and fixed on this inner bottom surface via the rubber material 2.

In addition, a drain hole 44 is bored in the inner bottom surface of the depressed portion 43.
Further, the opening of the recessed portion 43 is closed by a cover 45.

The above description is an example of the case where the device is attached to a motorcycle, but when it is attached to a rocking tricycle, for example, it is preferable to attach it to the rear side of the vehicle body where there is relatively less rocking.

(Effects of the Invention) As described in detail above, the vehicle traveling direction detection device of the present invention is provided by using a shock absorber in the lower part of the center of the vehicle body, which is relatively unsusceptible to the effects of vehicle body rocking, vibrations, etc. Since the sensor is held horizontally, noise components in the detection signal can be reduced, and detection accuracy can be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a vehicle progress detecting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a vehicle traveling direction detecting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a front view showing the engagement relationship between the balsa and the balsa guide in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a side view showing an example of the attachment part in a motorcycle, and FIG. It is a partial sectional view showing an example of a mounting structure. 1.50...Case, 2...Rubber material, 3...Vehicle body, 4...Inner case, 5...Rotor, 6,51
... Rotating shaft, 7... Fin, 10... Balsa, 1
1... Balsa guide, 15.53... Photocoupler,
16... Solenoid, 21... White belt, 22... Black belt, 31... Traveling direction detection device, 41... Floor,
42... Slanted surface of vehicle body, 43... Recessed part, 54...
Flywheel. Agent Patent Attorney Toshihiko Watanabe 53 (Neto fi7Zp-) Su 3 Shu 21 (own expense) 22 (Black F) 31 Koide Yumeki) 2 (Gosune J)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A case that rotates integrally with the vehicle in a horizontal plane in response to changes in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and a case that is located inside the case and has both ends of its rotating shaft rotatably supported on both sides of the case in the vertical direction. A traveling direction detection device for a vehicle, comprising a rotor and a detection unit that detects relative displacement between the case and the rotor, and is held horizontally below the approximate center of the vehicle body via a cushioning material. Device.