KR101864320B1 - Steering module - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a steering module. The present invention relates to a vehicle steering system comprising a steering input section that is rotatably mounted on a vehicle body and receives a steering signal, a skid steering input section that is provided in the vehicle body or the steering input section and generates a skid steering signal by inputting motion, And a controller for controlling the vehicle body to perform at least one of turning steering and skid steering based on a signal input to at least one of the steering input unit and the skid steering input.

Description

Steering module

The present invention relates to a module, and more particularly to a steering module.

Generally, various steering modules can be installed in the vehicle. Such a steering module may include a handle mounted on a general automobile, a stick type device installed on a special vehicle, and the like. This steering module can control the vehicle through the control unit by inputting a signal to change the direction of the vehicle. At this time, a general automobile can perform turning steering through the steering wheel. In addition, some of the special vehicles, such as forklifts, can turn or advance through the skid steering.

On the other hand, the above-described turning steering is a method of steering a vehicle by adjusting the steering angle of the wheel by mechanical operation around a certain point. On the other hand, in the case of a skid steering, the vehicle is rotated or rotated in place by adjusting the rotational speed of the wheel.

Such turning steering and skid steering can be implemented by each component installed in the vehicle. However, the turning steering and the skid steering as described above can be implemented independently by receiving only one signal, or only one of them can be implemented. Particularly, a method of performing such turning steering is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-0020113 (entitled "Vehicle Steering Handle Structure, Applicant: Hyundai Motor Co., Ltd.").

Korean Patent Publication No. 2008-0020113

Embodiments of the present invention seek to provide a steering module capable of simultaneously performing turning steering and skid steering.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle steering system comprising a steering input unit for turning and receiving a turning steering signal, a skid steering input unit for inputting motion and generating a skid steering signal, And a controller for controlling at least one of a turning steering and a skid steering based on a signal input to at least one of the turning steering input unit and the skid steering input.

The skid steering input unit may include a first skid steering input unit receiving the first motion or the second motion and a second skid steering input unit receiving the first motion or the second motion, 1 motion or a second skid steering input unit receiving the second motion.

The control unit may change the direction of the skid steer of the vehicle body according to the combination of the first motion or the second motion of the first skid steer- ing input unit and the first motion or the second motion of the second skid steer- ing input unit, .

Embodiments of the present invention

1 is a perspective view showing a steering module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram showing the control flow of the steering module shown in FIG.
3 is a perspective view illustrating a method of turning steering through the steering module shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a method of steering a skid through the steering module shown in FIG. 1; FIG.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a method of simultaneously performing the turning steering and the skid steering through the steering module shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. It is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In the present specification, the singular form includes plural forms unless otherwise specified in the specification. It is noted that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" used in the specification are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the components, steps, operations, and / Or additions. The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by terms. Terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

The steering module 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be used for various types of vehicles. For example, the steering module 100 may be installed in a vehicle such as a general passenger car, and may be installed in a special vehicle such as a crane, a military vehicle, or the like. Hereinafter, the steering module 100 is installed in a special vehicle for convenience of explanation.

1 is a perspective view showing a steering module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram showing the control flow of the steering module shown in FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the steering module 100 may include a turning steering input unit 110 rotatably mounted on a vehicle body and receiving a turning steering signal. In addition, the steering module 100 may include a skid steering input unit 120 installed in the vehicle body or the turning steering input unit 110, and inputting motion to generate a skid steering signal. The steering module 100 includes a control unit 190 for controlling the vehicle body to perform at least one of turning steering and skid steering based on signals input from at least one of the turning steering input unit 110 and the skid steering input unit 120 can do. In addition, the steering module 100 may include a wheel (not shown) installed in the vehicle body. At this time, a plurality of wheels may be provided, but the number of wheels is not limited.

The steering module 100 may include a turning steering unit 150 connected to the wheels and performing turning steering of the wheels under the control of the controller 190. The steering module 100 may include a skid steering unit 160 connected to the wheel and performing steering of the wheels according to the control of the controller 190.

At this time, the turning steering unit 150 may be formed as a single unit, and may be connected to a plurality of wheels, respectively, and a plurality of units may be provided so that each turning steering unit 150 may be connected to each wheel. Also, the skid steer- ing units 160 may be formed as one and connected to a plurality of wheels, respectively, and a plurality of skid steer- ing units 160 may be connected to the respective wheels. At this time, when the turning steering unit 150 is formed as a single unit, it is similar to a turning steering apparatus used in a car such as a general passenger car, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Further, when the skid steer- ing unit 160 is formed as a single unit, the skid steer- ing unit 160 may include a clutch, a gear assembly, or the like for individually controlling the speed of each wheel.

On the other hand, when a plurality of the turning steering unit 150 and the skid steering unit 160 are provided, the turning steering unit 150 and the skid steering unit 160 may be connected to respective wheels, respectively. At this time, the turning steering unit 150 has an actuator capable of independently controlling the steering angle of the wheels, and the skid steering unit 160 includes an in-wheel motor (not shown) that independently controls the speed of each wheel under the control of the controller 190 .

In this case, the steering module 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above, and all the devices and configurations capable of independently steering or skid steering by at least one of the turning steering signal and the skid steering signal . Hereinafter, the steering module 100 will be described in detail with reference to the case where the steering module 100 includes the independent turning steering unit 150 and the skid steering unit 160 for convenience of explanation.

Specifically, as described above, the turning steering unit 150 may include an actuator connected to each wheel. At this time, the actuator may be formed in a cylinder shape, and may include a driving motor and a gear assembly.

Further, the skid steer- ing unit 160 may include an in-wheel motor as described above, and the in-wheel motor may be installed separately on each wheel. In addition, each in-wheel motor can control the rotational speed of each wheel under the control of the control unit 190. [

Meanwhile, the turning steering input unit 110 may be formed in various ways. Specifically, the turning steering input unit 110 may include a steering wheel (not shown) installed in a general vehicle. Also, the turning steering input unit 110 is rotatably installed to generate the turning steering signal. At this time, the turning steering signal may include information about the turning radius of the vehicle body or the turning angle of the wheel according to the turning degree of the turning steering input unit 110.

The skid steering input unit 120 may be installed in the vehicle body or the turning steering input unit 110. At this time, the motion may include the first motion and the second motion. In particular, the first motion and the second motion may be rotary motion. In this case, the first motion and the second motion may be a rotation operation that forms a certain angle with the plane in which the turning steering input unit 110 rotates. In addition, the first motion and the second motion may be rotated in opposite directions. In particular, the skid steering input unit 120 may be connected to the turning steering input unit 110 in a rotatable manner.

On the other hand, the skid steering input unit 120 may be formed as a single unit or a plurality of units. The plurality of skid steering input units 120 include a first skid steering input unit 121 rotatably connected to the turning steering input unit 110 and a second skid steering input unit 121 rotatably connected to the turning steering input unit 110, And a second skid steer- ing input unit 122 forming a certain angle with the first skid steer- ing input unit 121. [ At this time, the first skid steering input unit 121 and the second skid steering input unit 122 may be installed to face each other. Hereinafter, the skid steering input unit 120 includes a first skid steering input unit 121 and a second skid steering input unit 122 for convenience of explanation.

The first skid steering input unit 121 and the second skid steering input unit 122 may receive the first motion or the second motion. In this case, the first motion may be a clockwise rotation, and the second motion may be a counterclockwise rotation. At this time, the rotation directions of the first motion and the second motion are not limited to the above, and may include all cases where the directions of rotation are opposite to each other. In addition, the rotational speed of each wheel can be varied according to the rotational angle of the first skid steering input unit 121 and the second skid steering input unit 122, respectively.

Meanwhile, the first motion and the second motion may be operations such as pushing or lifting using the user's body. At this time, the skid steering input unit 120 may be formed in various ways. For example, the skid steering input unit 120 may be at least one of a joystick, a button, a paddle shift, and a pedal. Hereinafter, the skid steering input unit 120 is rotatably connected to the turning steering input unit 110 for convenience of explanation.

The steering module 100 may include a motion sensing unit 140 for sensing the motion of the skid steering input unit 120. At this time, the motion sensing unit 140 may transmit the sensed motion to the controller 190. [ In particular, the motion sensing unit 140 can sense various motions according to the motion of the skid steering input unit 120. At this time, the motion sensing unit 140 includes a first motion sensing unit 141 installed in the first skid steering input unit 121 and a second motion sensing unit 142 installed in the second skid steering input unit 122 .

In addition, the steering module 100 may include a motion holder 130 that constrains the motion of the skid steering input 120. At this time, when the motion holder 130 operates, the skid steering input unit 120 may be constrained to prevent motion. In particular, the motion holder 130 may be formed in various shapes. For example, the motion holder 130 may be formed of a button, a restraining pin, a restraining protrusion, or the like. The motion holder 130 may include a first motion holder 131 installed at the first skid steering input unit 121 and a second motion holder 132 installed at the second skid steering input unit 122 have.

Hereinafter, the case where the operation of the steering module 100 is performed simultaneously with the turning steering, the skid steering, the turning steering, and the skid steering will be described in detail.

3 is a perspective view showing a method of turning steering through the steering module 100 shown in Fig.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the vehicle is operating, the vehicle is able to generate power through a driving unit such as an engine and start operation. At this time, the driver can input the turning steering signal through the turning steering input unit 110. [ In particular, the turning steering signal can be input in a state in which the skid steering input unit 120 is constrained through the motion holder 130.

Specifically, the driver can control the turning steering unit 150 by rotating the turning steering input unit 110. [ For example, when the turning steering input section 110 is rotated clockwise, the turning steering input section 110 can generate a first turning steering signal that steers the vehicle body to the right side.

After the first turning steering signal is transmitted to the controller 190, the controller 190 may control the turning steering unit 150 based on the steering angle of the predetermined wheel. At this time, the turning steering unit 150 can rotate each wheel so that the steering angle of the wheel corresponds to the steering angle of the predetermined wheel.

When the wheel rotates as described above, the vehicle body can rotate to the right according to the rotation of the wheel. At this time, the vehicle body can rotate to the right with respect to the center of rotation according to the steering angle of the wheel.

Meanwhile, in addition to the above case, when the driver rotates the turning steering input unit 110 in the counterclockwise direction, the turning steering input unit 110 can generate the second turning steering signal that steers the vehicle body on the turning side.

At this time, the second turning steering signal is transmitted to the controller 190 as in the first turning steering signal described above, and the controller 190 controls the turning steering unit 150 to vary the steering angle of the wheel. In particular, when the steering angle of the wheel is varied as described above, the vehicle body can be rotated to the left in accordance with the rotation of the wheel.

At this time, the direction of rotation is not limited to the above, and may be variously combined.

4 is a perspective view showing a method of steering a skid through the steering module 100 shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4, in addition to the turning steering as described above, the vehicle can be skid steered. At this time, if the skid steering input signal is inputted through the skid steering input unit 120, the vehicle body can perform the skid steering.

For example, when the skid steering signal is inputted, the rotational speed of each wheel is variable, and the vehicle body can be skid-steered. Specifically, when the first motion and the second motion are input through the first skid steering input unit 121 and the second skid steering input unit 122, respectively, a first skid steering signal can be generated. In this case, the first motion of the first skid steer- ing input unit 121 may be a movement that rotates clockwise, and the second motion of the second skid-steer- ing input unit 122 may be a movement that rotates counterclockwise. Reference)

At this time, the first motion or the second motion may be sensed through the motion sensing unit 140. More specifically, the motion sensing unit 140 includes a first motion sensing unit 141 for sensing a first motion or a second motion of the first skid steering input unit 121, Or a second motion sensing unit 142 for sensing a second motion.

In addition to sensing the first motion or the second motion of the first skid steering input unit 121, the first motion sensing unit 141 may sense the intensity of the first motion or the second motion. The second motion sensing unit 142 may sense the first motion or the second motion of the second skid steering input unit 122 and sense the intensity of the first motion or the second motion.

When the first skid steering signal is generated by the first motion and the second motion as described above, the vehicle body can be skid-steered to the right side. At this time, in the case of a vehicle body that is skid-steered to the right side, the rotational speed of the wheel disposed on the left side of the vehicle body may increase to a predetermined rotational speed.

On the other hand, the rotational speed of the wheel disposed on the right side of the vehicle body may be reduced to a predetermined rotational speed. At this time, the rotational speed of each wheel may be pre-set in a table form or the like according to the first skid steering signal.

When the vehicle body is skid-steered to the right as described above, the first motion and the second motion can be varied. In addition, the first motion and the second motion may vary according to the rotation angle of at least one of the first skid steering input section 121 and the second skid steering input section 122, respectively. The first motion of the first skid steering input unit 121 and the second motion of the second skid steering input unit 122 are respectively transmitted to the first and second motion sensing units 141 and 142 And may be transmitted to the control unit 190.

For example, when the rotational angle of the first skid steering input unit 121 is 10 degrees and the rotational angle of the second skid steering input unit 122 is 15 degrees, the rotational speed of each wheel can be controlled to correspond to the sum . When the rotational angle of the first skid steering input unit 121 is 15 degrees and the rotational angle of the second skid steering input unit 122 is 15 degrees, the rotational speed of each wheel corresponding to the sum is larger than that . On the other hand, when the rotational angle of the first skid steering input unit 121 is 10 degrees and the rotational angle of the second skid steering input unit 122 is 10 degrees, the rotational speed of each wheel corresponding to the sum is smaller .

Meanwhile, the second motion and the first motion may be input through the skid steering input unit 120 in addition to the first motion and the second motion. Specifically, the first skid steering input unit 121 inputs the second motion, and the second skid steering input unit 122 inputs the first motion (FIG. 4B)

At this time, the skid steering input unit 120 may generate the second skid steering signal according to the input of the second motion and the first motion. Here, the second motion and the first motion may be different from the first motion of the first skid steering input unit 121 and the second motion of the second skid steering input unit 122 as described above.

Specifically, when the second motion is input from the first skid steering input unit 121, the rotational direction of the first skid steerable input unit 121 corresponds to the rotational direction of the first skid steerable input unit 121 when the first motion is input, It can be the opposite. The rotation direction of the second skid steer- ing input unit 122 when the first motion is input by the second skid steer- ing input unit 122 is determined by the rotation direction of the second skid steer- ing input unit 122 when the second motion is input .

In particular, in the above case, the second motion of the first skid steer- ing input unit 121 may be a motion that rotates counterclockwise, and the first motion of the second skid steer- ing input unit 122 may be a motion that rotates clockwise.

When the first skid steering input section 121 and the second skid steering input section 122 are operated as described above, the vehicle body can be skid-steered to the left according to the second skid steering signal. At this time, the method in which the vehicle body is skid-steered to the left side is similar to the method in which the vehicle body is skid-steered to the right side, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, the second motion and the first motion input from the first skid steering input unit 121 and the second skid steering input unit 122, respectively, can be changed as in the first motion and the second motion described above. As described above, the skid steering method of the vehicle according to the second motion, which varies the second motion by varying the rotation angle of the first skid steering input unit 121 and the second skid steering input unit 122, The detailed description will be omitted.

Meanwhile, in the above case, the first motion can be simultaneously input to the first skid steering input unit 121 and the second skid steering input unit 122. At this time, the first motion of the first skid steering input unit 121 and the first motion of the second skid steering input unit 122 may be clockwise as described above (see FIG. 4C).

As described above, when the first motion is input to the first skid steering input unit 121 and the first motion is input to the second skid steering input unit 122, the vehicle body can be advanced by the skid steering. At this time, in the above case, the vehicle body can advance by increasing the wheel rotation speed of the vehicle body.

The second skid steering input unit 121 and the second skid steering input unit 122 may also input the second motion. At this time, the second motion of the first skid steering input unit 121 and the second motion of the second skid steering input unit 122 may be counterclockwise as described above (FIG. 4D)

When the second motion is input to the first skid steering input unit 121 and the second motion is input to the second skid steering input unit 122 as described above, the vehicle body can be reversed. In particular, in the above case, the rotational speed of the wheel of the vehicle body is reduced, and then the rotational direction is reversed, so that the vehicle body can be reversed.

Meanwhile, after inputting the first motion or the second motion, the user may return the first skid steering input unit 121 and the second skid steering input unit 122 to the original state. At this time, the first skid steering input unit 121 and the second skid steering input unit 122 return to the original state, so that the rotation of each wheel is stopped and the vehicle body may no longer perform the skid steering.

In particular, the steering module 100 may include a restoring unit (not shown) installed in the skid steering input unit 120 and applying a restoring force when the skid steering input unit 120 rotates. The restoring unit may include a first restoring unit (not shown) installed in the first skid steering input unit 121 and a second restoring unit (not shown) installed in the second skid steering input unit 122 .

The first restoration unit and the second restoration unit may be variously formed. For example, the first restoration unit and the second restoration unit may include a torsion spring, and may include a stepping motor. In particular, the first restoring unit and the second restoring unit may provide a restoring force in operation of the first skid steering input unit 121 and the second skid steering input unit 122, respectively, have.

5 is a perspective view illustrating a method of simultaneously performing turning steering and skid steering through the steering module 100 shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 5, the steering module 100 may perform the skid steering in addition to the turning steering or the skid steering described above while performing the turning steering.

Specifically, the steering module 100 may receive a turning steering input signal or a skid steering signal from a user while the vehicle body is moving.

For example, the turning steering input signal can be inputted through the turning steering input unit 110 while the vehicle is running. At this time, the vehicle body can be steered according to the turning steering input signal, and the steering method is the same as that described with reference to FIG. 2, so a detailed description will be omitted.

Meanwhile, as described above, the skid steering input unit 120 can receive a skid steering signal during the turning steering of the vehicle body.

When the skid steering signal is input as described above, the first skid steering signal or the second skid steering signal can be skid-steered to the right or left as described above. At this time, when the vehicle is skid steered to the right or left as described above, the turning steering may be performed as described above.

Meanwhile, in such a case, the turning steering and the skid steering can be combined with each other in various ways. For example, when turning the vehicle body to the right through turning steering, the vehicle can be skid-steered through the skid steering (refer to FIG. 5d). At this time, Therefore, some can be reduced. Therefore, the radius of the vehicle body that rotates to the right side can be increased.

On the other hand, when the vehicle body is steered to the right through the skid steering while turning and steering the vehicle body through the turning steering, the vehicle body can be steered to the right quickly according to the sum of the turning steering and the skid steering, (See Figure 5c). ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 >

In the case of turning the steering of the vehicle to the right while turning the steering to the left, it is possible to rotate the vehicle with a large turning radius to the left, similarly to the case of steering the steering as described above and turning the steering to the left. 5A), as well as when turning the steering to the left while turning the steering to the left, the vehicle body can quickly turn to the left with a small turning radius (see FIG. 5B).

In addition to the above cases, the direction of the vehicle body can be determined according to the magnitude of the turning steering and the skid steering. In particular, the vehicle body can be steered depending on the sum of the turning steering and the skid steering, and both the turning steering and the skid steering can be performed simultaneously.

Accordingly, the steering module 100 can steer the vehicle body by selectively inputting the turning steering and the skid steering. In addition, since the steering module 100 can input the skid steering while steering, various steering can be realized. In particular, since the steering module 100 can implement turning steering and skid steering through a simple operation, user's convenience can be increased.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the above-mentioned preferred embodiments, it is possible to make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications and variations as fall within the true spirit of the invention.

100: steering module
110: turning steering input unit
120: Skid steering input unit
121: first skid steering input section
122: second skid steering input section
130: Motion holder
131: first motion holder
132: second motion holder
140: Motion detection unit
141: first motion sensing unit
142: second motion sensing unit
150: turning steering unit
160: Skid steering unit
190:

Claims (3)

A turning steering input section that is rotatably installed in a vehicle body and receives a turning steering signal;
A skid steering input unit installed in the vehicle body or the turning steering input unit and generating a skid steering signal by inputting a motion; And
And a controller for controlling the vehicle body to operate in at least one of a turning steering operation based on the turning steering input signal input to the turning steering input section and a skid steering operation based on the skid steering input signal input to the skid steering input section Steering module. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the motion includes a first motion and a second motion that are rotational motions in mutually opposite directions,
The skid steering input unit may include:
A first skid steering input unit receiving the first motion or the second motion; And
And a second skid steering input unit receiving the first motion or the second motion. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein,
And steering the skid steering of the vehicle body according to the combination of the first motion or the second motion of the first skid steering input section and the first motion or the second motion of the second skid steering input section.

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