JPH02140436A - throttle device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a fail-safe function by putting in mechanical movements from an accelerator pedal on one of two input gears and the driving force of a motor, with a control signal, on the other, and rotating a throttle shaft with their differential. CONSTITUTION:When an accelerator pedal 11 is pressed down while driving normally, a drum 7 with an input gear A rotates in a direction to open a throttle valve 1 through a wire 12, and a drum 8 with an input gear B, responding to it, rotates in an equal speed in the same direction in accordance with the control signal from a control unit 18 to perform opening and closing movements of a throttle valve 1 through an output gear C. At the times of automatic cruising and traction control, the control unit 18 controls the motor 13 according to running conditions to make the input gear A inoperative. Next, when the motor 13 is locked by breakdown, etc. while driving, only the input gear A is rotated with the operation of the accelerator pedal 11 to perform the opening and closing operations through the output gear C with the differential of gears A, B. A fail-safe function is thus obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an electronically controlled throttle device that controls the amount of intake air (air amount or mixture amount) supplied to an engine of an automobile or the like.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, in the automobile field, with the electronicization of engine control,
Engine intake flow rate control (throttle control) is also becoming electronically controlled.

The throttle device that performs this kind of intake flow control is
Various methods have been proposed, such as detecting the amount of accelerator pedal depression (accelerator position) and controlling the microcomputer (engine control unit) according to the amount of pedal depression.
) calculates a preset Q-appropriate throttle opening and drives a throttle actuator (motor) based on this opening signal to control the opening of the throttle valve.

The electronically controlled throttle flI11 control enables highly accurate control of the throttle opening, so it can improve fuel efficiency and reduce exhaust emissions by 1↑, as well as auto cruise control (vehicle speed-volume control) and traction control (slip). It is expected that it will also be possible to perform preventive control.

However, for practical use, it is necessary to take the following measures. In other words, with this type of throttle control system, if the throttle actuator, throttle actuator drive circuit, etc. should fail and the throttle is left open, there is a risk that the engine will run out of control.Therefore, it is necessary to take fail-safe measures. There is.

Therefore, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-155255, in the event of an abnormality, the clutch between the motor (throttle actuator) and the throttle valve is disengaged and the throttle valve is forcibly closed by a return spring. As disclosed in No. 60-50235, in addition to the throttle valve that is electronically controlled by a throttle actuator, a fail-safe throttle valve with a return spring that is linked to the accelerator pedal is provided, and the electronically controlled throttle valve is opened. A method has been proposed in which, even if the engine is locked, when the accelerator pedal is released, the fail-safe throttle valve is closed by the force of the return spring to prevent the engine from running out of control.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

As mentioned above, this type of throttle device.

As a safety measure in the event of a failure in the throttle actuator, throttle actuator drive circuit, etc., measures such as emergency closing of the throttle valve in conjunction with the return spring have been proposed. It would be convenient if, even after a breakdown, the car could run on its own (so-called limp home function) and be able to drive to one's home, auto repair shop, etc. However, sufficient consideration has not been given to this point.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its purpose is to provide a fail-safe function in the event that a failure occurs in the throttle actuator, etc., as well as to provide an emergency response to the vehicle. The aim is to enable safe self-blade travel and to realize these functions using a simple mechanism.

[Means to solve the problem]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a throttle device that includes a throttle valve that controls the flow rate of intake air supplied to an engine, and whose throttle shaft is supported by a throttle body via a bearing.

An input gear A is located at the - section of the throttle shaft.

A differential gear mechanism consisting of a gear B and an output gear C is incorporated, and both of the input gears A and B are attached so as to be rotatable with respect to the throttle shaft, and one of the manual gears A is connected to the accelerator pedal. The other input gear B rotates by inputting mechanical power from a motor (actuator) driven by a control signal, and the output gear C rotates by inputting mechanical power from a motor (actuator) driven by a control signal. The rotational power generated by the differential between the input gears A and B is transmitted to the throttle shaft.

[Effect]

According to the present invention having such a configuration, during steady operation, when the accelerator pedal is depressed, input gear A rotates by inputting mechanical power from the accelerator pedal, and the other input gear B rotates by inputting mechanical power from the accelerator pedal. The motor is rotated by inputting the power of the motor (which is driven by a throttle control signal). During such steady operation, if the rotational directions of manual gears A and B are the same and the speed is constant, the rotational power of both input gears A and B is transmitted as is to output gear C, and output gear C can rotate on its own axis. It revolves around the axes of input gears A and B, allowing forward and reverse rotation. Since the output gear C is mechanically connected to the throttle shaft, the rotational power (revolutionary force) of the output gear C
is transmitted to the throttle shirt 1-, and the throttle valve opens and closes following the output gear C.

In addition, auto cruise control and traction control can be performed as follows.

That is, in the case of auto-cruise control, the mechanical transmission system from the accelerator pedal is temporarily disconnected, input gear A on the accelerator side is not operated, and input gear B is operated solely by the power of the motor. In addition, in the case of traction control, the accelerator pedal remains in the same state (the input gear A remains in the same state), and the manual gear B is operated by the motor. In the case of these controls, the output gear C revolves while rotating due to the differential between the input gear B and the input gear 8, so the opening and closing of the throttle valve is controlled within the range that can be revolved, and furthermore, the auto cruise control is performed.

Traction control becomes possible. Note that when performing auto cruise control and traction control, the direction of the rotational power of the motor applied to input gear B is controlled by the former, which opens the throttle valve to set the speed, and the latter, which controls the throttle valve to close to reduce the engine speed. , are in opposite directions.

Next, in the unlikely event that a failure occurs in the motor, motor drive circuit, etc. and the motor is locked during operation, input gear B will be in a locked state and only input gear A will be actuated exclusively by operation of the accelerator pedal. Therefore, in this case, the output gear C revolves while rotating due to the differential between the input gear A and the gear B, so that it is possible to control the opening and closing of the throttle valve within the range in which the output gear C can revolve. Therefore, if the motor locks up while driving at steady speed,
When deceleration is performed using the accelerator pedal, input gear A rotates in the direction to close the throttle valve, which in turn causes output gear C to rotate in the direction to close the throttle valve using the rotational power generated by the differential between gears A and B. It is possible to prevent runaway behavior and provide a fail-safe function.

In this case, when the accelerator pedal is released, it is possible to forcibly return input gear A on the accelerator side to its initial position (the position where the throttle valve is fully opened) using a return spring or solenoid. It is also possible to stop.

In addition, even if the motor is locked as described above, the rotational power is exclusively given to input gear A by operating the accelerator pedal, and output gear C can be differentially operated. By controlling the opening and closing within the (revolution) range, it is also possible for the blade to run on its own.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of the first embodiment.

In Figure 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a throttle valve.The amount of air (intake amount) in a vehicle engine is controlled by a throttle valve 1. Throttle valve 1.

It is fixed to a throttle shaft 2 by two bolts 3, and both ends of the throttle shirt 1 are supported by a throttle body (not shown) by two bearings, that is, ball bearings 4.

The throttle shaft 2 passes through the throttle body, and has a throttle sensor 5 at one end and a differential gear mechanism 6 at the other end.
is incorporated.

The differential gear mechanism 6 includes a drum 7 having an input gear A, a drum 8 having an input gear B, and an output gear C. In this differential gear mechanism 6, each gear is composed of a bevel gear, and when input gears A and B rotate at a constant speed and in the same direction, output gear C does not rotate, and input gears A and B
When the output gear C revolves around the axis of the input gears A and B, and there is a differential in the rotation of the input gears A and B, the output gear C rotates around the axis of the input gears A and B.
It is a mechanism that revolves around the axis of B.

A drum 7 with an input gear A is rotatably fitted to the throttle shaft 2 via a ball bearing 9 and connected to an accelerator pedal 11 via a wire 12.

A drum 8 with an input gear B is rotatably fitted to the throttle shaft 2 via a ball bearing 1o, and a gear 8a that meshes with a pinion gear 14 of a motor 13 is provided on its negative side.

The output gear C is rotatably fitted through a ball bearing 16 to a shaft 15 that is integrated with the throttle shaft 2 (the shaft 15 extends perpendicularly to the shaft 2). The throttle shaft 2 coincides with the axes of the input gears A and B. Furthermore, the output gear C corresponds to the movement of the input gears A and B on a one-to-one basis, and when a differential occurs between the input gears A and B, the output gear C rotates around the shaft 15 and interacts with the throttle shaft 2. It has the function of revolving around this throttle shaft 2 while maintaining the connection relationship. Through this revolution, the throttle valve 1 performs opening and closing operations.

17 is a return spring, return spring 17
has one end fixed to, for example, a throttle body, and always applies a pulling force to the throttle valve 1 in the closing direction via the other end. As a result, when the accelerator pedal 11 is released, the throttle valve 1 is returned to the idle position.

13 is a throttle actuator, 18 is a control unit, and 19 is an accelerator sensor.

The control unit 18 outputs a throttle control signal (motor control signal) to the actuator 13 according to the situation based on input data such as an accelerator signal, a throttle opening signal, a vehicle speed signal, a vehicle slip signal, and an engine rotation speed signal. Then, the accelerator signal (or throttle opening signal)
It has functions such as steady running control based on the vehicle speed setting signal, auto cruise control using the vehicle speed setting signal, and traction control using the vehicle slip signal.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

During steady operation, when the accelerator pedal 11 is depressed, the drum 7 with input gear A rotates in the direction of opening the throttle valve 1 via the accelerator wire 12 (this is considered the positive direction), and the drum 8 with input gear B also rotates. Correspondingly, it rotates at a constant speed in the same direction as gear A by motor driving force based on the control signal. If you loosen the pressure on the accelerator pedal 11, gear A will shift.
, B rotate at a constant speed in a direction in which the throttle valve 1 is closed (this is defined as a negative direction).

The rotational power of these input gears A and B is transmitted as is to the output gear C, and the output gear C does not rotate on its own axis and can rotate in either the positive or negative direction. This revolution (
The throttle shaft 2 is rotated by the rotational power (rotational power) via the shaft 15, and the throttle valve 1 performs opening and closing operations. Therefore, both steady acceleration and deceleration operations are possible.

In the case of auto cruise control, the control unit 18 sends a control signal necessary for the set vehicle speed to the motor 13 according to the driving conditions based on the vehicle speed setting signal, and also controls the mechanical transmission system of the accelerator pedal by some means. The communication is temporarily interrupted, input gear A is not operated, and input gear B is exclusively operated in the forward direction by the power of the motor 13. In this case, the output gear C rotates around its axis due to the differential between the input gear B and the input gear A, and the throttle valve 2 receives the power from the gear C and operates in the opening direction. This range of revolution is limited by the rotation of the output gear C, and is 17
It becomes 2.

In the case of traction control, the control unit 18 sends a control signal (throttle opening reduction signal) necessary for slip prevention to the motor 13 based on the vehicle slip signal, and the input gear A remains unchanged, in other words, the accelerator pedal remains as it is, and the input gear B is exclusively operated in the negative direction by the power of the motor 13. In this case as well, the output gear C revolves while rotating due to the differential between input gear B and input gear A.
The throttle valve 2 receives power from the gear C and operates in the closing direction. As mentioned above, this revolution range is 1/2 of that of steady running.
It is.

Next, in the unlikely event that a failure occurs in the motor, motor drive circuit, etc.
When the motor is locked during operation, input gear B is locked and only input gear A is rotated exclusively by operating the accelerator pedal 11. In this case, the differential between gears A and B causes the output gear C to revolve while rotating on its own axis, so that it is possible to control the opening and closing of the throttle valve within the range in which the output gear C can revolve.

Therefore, if the motor 13 is locked during steady driving, if the accelerator pedal 11 is used to decelerate, the input gear A will rotate in the negative direction, and the output gear C will rotate in the negative direction.
, B rotates the throttle valve 1 13 times in the closing direction using the rotational power generated by the differential between the valves 1 and 1. Therefore, it is possible to prevent runaway driving of the vehicle and provide a fail-safe function. In this case, when the accelerator pedal 11 is released, the return spring 17 forcibly returns the input gear A on the accelerator side to the initial position (the position where the throttle valve is fully opened), so an emergency stop is also possible. .

Furthermore, even if the motor 13 is locked as described above,
By operating the accelerator pedal 11, rotational power is exclusively given to the input gear A, and the output gear C can be operated differentially, so by controlling the opening and closing of the throttle valve 1 within the rotation (revolution) range of the output gear C, Self-blade travel is also possible.

These throttle functions are summarized as shown in Table 1.

In Table 1, the rotation of input gear A is n&, the rotation of input gear B is nl, and the rotation of output gear C is n.

shall be.

Also, if the rotation of na Hnm g nt is in the positive direction (throttle opening direction), it is It l II, if it is in the negative direction (throttle closing direction), it is ゛ff-'llj, and if the rotation in the positive direction is halved, it is "1". / 2 ”, if the negative direction rotation is halved, “-1/2”, when the throttle is fully open (
The idle opening) state is expressed as II OP+. Also.

The throttle valve in the table is fully open at 10 degrees and fully open at 90 degrees.
' was used.

According to this embodiment, even if a failure occurs in the electronically controlled throttle device, it will not fail. It is possible to satisfy both the safe and self-blade running functions. Furthermore, the tensile force generated by the return spring 17 is balanced with the accelerator depression force via the accelerator wire 12, so that no large force is applied to the input gear B. As a result, the required torque of the motor 13 can be reduced, so it is possible to reduce the size of the motor 13.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment indicate the same or common elements.

In this embodiment, a bevel gear 4' is attached to the output shaft of the motor 13, and this gear 4' is meshed with the input gear B.
It directly drives input gear B.

According to this embodiment, the motor 13 can be arranged so that its output shaft is oriented 90 degrees with respect to the throttle shaft 2, which is advantageous in cases where there are restrictions in the longitudinal direction in consideration of mounting ease, etc. You can call it the layout.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, in the event of a failure by using an electronically controlled throttle device, in addition to providing a fail-safe function, it also provides emergency measures to ensure the safety of the vehicle. Self-travelling is possible, and these functions can be realized using a simple mechanism such as a differential gear mechanism.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the invention. 1...Throttle valve, 2...Throttle shaft, 4...-bearing, 6...Differential gear mechanism (input gear A
, B, output gear C), 7.8...drum, 8a...
additional gear. 9.10... Bearing, 11... Accelerator pedal, 13...
...Motor, 14...Pinion, 14'...Bevel gear, 15...Second shaft, 16...Bearing, 17
・・・Wata slot 1 Shibaluf 2---Su O, To 1 Shi'-/Yafuto cow-glaze 6--・-Kudo Nya wo k (Input Shishi A, B and Kagia C) 18-- -Drum 81- -One shaft 1q---Return valve 1 ring 2 6---Left movement~A fort U bag 3~---7-F bank~---Bevel gear self~ 11'9-N also br>

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A throttle device including a throttle valve for controlling the intake flow rate supplied to the engine, the throttle shaft of which is supported by a throttle body via a bearing, wherein an input gear A is connected to one end of the throttle shaft. , B and an output gear C, both of the input gears A and B of these gears are attached to be rotatable with respect to the throttle shaft, and one of the input gears A and B is rotatably attached to the throttle shaft. is rotated by inputting mechanical power from the accelerator pedal, the other input gear B is rotated by inputting the power of a motor driven by a control signal, and the output gear C is connected to the throttle shaft and the mechanical A throttle device characterized in that the input gears A and B are coupled together so that the rotational power generated by the differential between the input gears A and B is transmitted to the throttle shaft. 2. In the first aspect, each gear of the differential gear mechanism is composed of a bevel gear, and among these bevel gears,
The input gears A and B are disposed opposite to the throttle shaft via a bearing, and the output gear C is rotatably attached to a second shaft extending perpendicularly from the throttle shaft via a bearing. The output gear C is located between the input gears A and B, and rotates around the axes of the input gears A and B in response to both uniform motion and differential motion of the input gears A and B in the same direction. What is claimed is: 1. A throttle device having a structure in which the engine revolves around the earth, and the revolving force is transmitted to the throttle shaft through the second shaft. 3. The throttle device according to claim 1, wherein the input gear A of the differential gear mechanism is biased by a return spring in a direction to close the throttle valve. 4. In any one of claims 1 to 3, the motor is provided with an auto cruise control signal and a traction control signal in addition to being sent a throttle control signal during steady running via a control unit. A throttle device that is configured to send 5. In any one of claims 1 to 4, the input gear B is formed as a drum, and another gear is added to one side of the drum, while a pinion is attached to the output shaft of the motor. The throttle device is configured such that rotational power of the motor is transmitted to the input gear B by fitting the pinion with the additional gear. 6. In any one of claims 1 to 4, each gear of the differential gear mechanism is a bevel gear;
A bevel gear for power transmission is attached to the output shaft of the motor, and the bevel gear on the motor side meshes with the input gear B, and the motor is arranged so that the output shaft thereof is oriented 90 degrees different from the throttle shaft. Throttle device.