JPS63247162A - Vehicle steering device with motor-driven posture setting mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the getting on/off condition of passengers at the time of a temporary stop by controlling a steering device to be automatically in a retracted posture not by means of inserting/removing an engine key, based on the conditions of the stop of a vehicle, the rotation of an engine, the operation of a turn signal, etc. CONSTITUTION:When the stop of a vehicle and the rotation of an engine are judged by first and second judging means 7a, 7b respectively while with the posture setting mechanism of a steering device being judged not in an operating posture by a fourth judging means 7d, a motor 1 is controlled by a first control means 8a so as to make the posture setting mechanism 2 take the operating posture. Also, when the stop of the vehicle and the nonrotation of the engine are judged by the first and second judging means 7a, 7b respectively while, on the other hand, as the non-operation of a turn signal is detected by a third judging means 7c while with a fifth judging means 7e detecting that the posture setting mechanism 2 is not in a retracting posture, the motor 1 is controlled so that the posture setting mechanism 2 is made the retracting posture through a second control means 8b.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a vehicle steering system, and particularly to an electric attitude setting mechanism that is equipped with an attitude setting mechanism such as a tilt mechanism or a telescopic mechanism driven by an electric motor. Regarding a steering for a vehicle with a mechanism.

[Prior art]

In this type of vehicle steering system, when the driver gets on and off the vehicle, the posture setting mechanism automatically assumes a retracted position (a state convenient for getting on and off), making it easy for the driver to get on and off the vehicle.
In addition, there are systems in which the posture setting mechanism automatically changes to the driving posture (a state suitable for driving) under specific conditions after riding, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 61-67661, Japanese Utility Model Application No. 61
This method has been proposed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 29970, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 128162/1983, and the like.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the above-mentioned conventional steering system, the insertion and removal of the ignition key (also referred to as the engine key, but hereinafter simply referred to as the key) is detected as a condition for starting the automatic operation of the attitude setting mechanism, so it is necessary to temporarily leave the vehicle with the key inserted. In this case, the attitude setting mechanism does not automatically take the retracted attitude, making it impossible to improve the ease of getting on and off the vehicle.

In addition, in the conventional steering system described above, when the key is inserted after getting into the vehicle, the attitude setting mechanism automatically starts operating toward the driving position, so the key moves integrally with the attitude setting mechanism in the vehicle. In this case, if you try to start the engine immediately after inserting the key, the key will move during the engine starting operation and will be difficult to operate.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and as shown in FIG. 1, an attitude setting mechanism 2 such as a tilt mechanism or a telescopic mechanism driven by an electric motor 1
A steering wheel for a vehicle with an electric attitude setting mechanism, which is equipped with a running detecting means 3 for detecting the running state of the vehicle, an engine rotation detecting means 4 for detecting the rotation of the engine, and an operating state of a turn signal. a turn signal detection means 5 for detecting the position of the vehicle; an attitude detection means 6 for detecting the attitude of the attitude setting mechanism 2; and a first determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is stopped based on the signal from the travel detection means 3. 7a, second determining means 7b for determining whether or not the engine is rotating based on the signal from the engine rotation detecting means 4, and the turn signal is activated based on the signal from the turn signal detecting means 5. a fourth determining means 7d for determining whether or not the attitude setting mechanism 2 is in the driving position based on the signal from the attitude detecting means 6; a fifth determining means 7e for determining whether or not the posture setting mechanism 2 is in the retracted posture based on the signal from the posture detecting means 6;
When the first determining means 7a determines that the vehicle is stopped, the second determining means 7b determines that the engine is rotating, and the fourth determining means 7d sets the attitude setting mechanism 2 to the driving position. a first control means 8a for controlling the electric motor 1 so that the posture setting mechanism 2 is in the driving position when it is determined that the posture setting mechanism 2 is not in the driving position;
a, the second determining means 7b determines that the engine is not rotating, the third determining means 7C determines that the turn signal is not operating, and the third determining means 7C determines that the turn signal is not operating. 5. A second control means 8b is provided for controlling the electric motor 1 so that the posture setting mechanism 2 is in the retracted posture when the determination means 7e determines that the posture setting mechanism 2 is not in the retracted posture. There is.

[Action of the invention]

In the vehicle steering system of the present invention configured as described above, when a driver gets on a stopped vehicle in which the attitude setting mechanism 2 is in the retracted attitude and starts the engine, the position setting mechanism 2 detects the movement based on the signal from the travel detection means 3. The first determining means 7a determines that the vehicle is stopped, and the second determining means 7b determines that the engine is rotating based on the signal from the engine rotation detecting means 4, and the signal from the attitude detecting means 6 The posture setting mechanism 2 is determined by the fourth determining means 7d based on the
Since it is determined that the is not in the driving position, the first control means 8a
The operation of the electric motor 1 is controlled 6 so that the attitude setting mechanism 2 is placed in the operating attitude.

Further, when the vehicle with the attitude setting mechanism 2 in the driving attitude is stopped and the engine is stopped with the turn signal not activated, the first determination means 7a determines whether the It is determined that the vehicle is stopped, the second determination means 7b determines that the engine is not rotating based on the signal from the engine rotation detection means 4, and the third determination means 7b determines that the engine is not rotating based on the signal from the turn signal detection means 5. Since the determining means 7C determines that the turn signal is not activated, and furthermore, the fifth determining means 7e determines that the attitude setting mechanism 2 is not in the retracted position based on the signal from the attitude detecting means 6, so the second control means 8b controls the operation of the electric motor 1 so that the attitude setting mechanism 2 assumes the retracted attitude.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description of the operation, in the vehicle steering system according to the present invention, insertion and removal of the key is not detected as a condition for starting the automatic operation of the attitude setting mechanism 2.
Even if you temporarily leave the vehicle with the key inserted, the attitude setting mechanism 2 can be automatically set to the retreat attitude by stopping the vehicle and stopping the engine while the turn signal is not activated. This makes it possible to improve the ease of getting on and off the vehicle.

Furthermore, in the vehicle steering system according to the present invention, starting the engine after getting into the vehicle is a condition for automatically starting the posture setting mechanism 2 to the driving posture, so that the key moves integrally with the posture setting mechanism 2. Even in the case of a vehicle in which the engine is started using the key, the key does not move during the operation of starting the engine, and the operability is not hindered at all.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

2 and 3 show a vehicle steering wheel according to the present invention, which includes a tilt mechanism A for adjusting the tilt angle of the steering wheel 10 and a tilt mechanism A for adjusting the axial position of the steering wheel 10. It is equipped with a telescopic mechanism B.

The tilt mechanism A is for adjusting the angle of the extendable upper main shaft 11 to which the steering wheel 10 is attached with respect to the lower main shaft 12, and is a breakaway bracket attached below the body 13 constituting the dash board. 14, a DC motor 15 attached to the bracket 14, a deceleration mechanism 16 connected to the DC motor 15, a screw nut mechanism 17 connected to the deceleration mechanism 16, and a screw nut mechanism 17 pivotally connected to the breakaway bracket 14. The upper bracket 18 is rotated by the screw nut mechanism 17.
It is equipped with In addition, reduction mechanism】6. Screw nut horizontal groove 17. Upper bracket 18 is JP-A-61-676
Since this device is the same as the device proposed in Publication No. 61, a detailed explanation of the configuration will be omitted.

In this tilt mechanism A, when the DC motor 15 rotates in one direction, the steering wheel 10 moves to the upper tilting end (
When the steering wheel 10 tilts toward the downward tilting end (retracted position) and the DC motor 15 rotates in the other direction, the steering wheel
By operating the switches SWI and SW2 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the DC motor 15 is rotated via the electric control device 30 shown in FIG. 4. switch ASW so that the tilt angle of the steering wheel 10 can be manually adjusted.
is operated, the electric control device 30 rotates the DC motor 15 under specific conditions to be described later to automatically tilt the steering wheel 10 to the retracted position, or change the steering wheel 10 from the retracted position to the original position (the position before retraction). ).

The telescopic mechanism B is for adjusting the length of the upper main shaft 11 and the expandable upper column tube 20 that supports it by expanding and contracting it in the axial direction. The motor is equipped with a DC motor 21 attached to the lower part (a part that does not move in the axial direction), a speed reduction mechanism 22 connected to the DC motor 21, and a screw nut mechanism 23 connected to the speed reduction mechanism 22. In addition, upper column tube 20. Reduction mechanism 22. Since the screw nut mechanism 23 is the same as that of the device proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-67661, a detailed explanation of the structure will be omitted.

In this telescopic mechanism B, a DC motor 21
When the DC motor 21 rotates in one direction, the steering wheel 10 moves axially toward the forward end of travel, and when the DC motor 21 rotates in the other direction, the steering wheel 10 moves axially toward the rear end of travel. , switch SW3. shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The axial position of the steering wheel 10 can be manually adjusted by rotating the DC motor 21 via the electric control device 30 by operating the SW4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the electric control device 30 includes a microcomputer 31. Interface circuit 32, A/D
Converter 33. It is equipped with motor drive circuits 34 and 35 as well as various other circuits (not shown), and is always operable. The microcomputer 31 includes an interface circuit 32, an A/D converter 33. They are connected to the motor drive circuits 34, 35, etc., and store programs corresponding to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, as well as various programs for bringing about the operations described below.

The interface circuit 32 is a vehicle speed sensor SSW.

It is also connected to the switch ASW, sensor TS, regulator REG, etc., so that the microcomputer 3I can read each signal from the vehicle speed sensor SSW, switch ASW, sensor TS, regulator REG, etc.

The switch ASW is an auto switch that specifies whether to enable or disable the automatic getting on/off posture setting mode (operation of automatically retracting or returning the steering wheel 10) when getting on/off, and the sensor TS is set to the turn signal lamp. This is a sensor that detects energization. regulator REG
is a device that stabilizes the output of an alternator connected to the output shaft of the engine, and it is possible to determine whether or not the engine is rotating based on the signal from this device.

The A/D converter 33 is also connected to switches SWI to SW4 and potentiometers PMI and PM2, respectively, and switches SWl to SW4. Potentiometer P
Each signal from MI-PM2 etc. is sent to the microcomputer 3.
1 can be read. Switches SWI and SW2 are manual switches used to adjust the tilt angle of the steering wheel 10.
Also, switch SW3. SW4 is steering wheel 1
This is a manual switch used when adjusting the axial position of 0. The potentiometer PM1 is for detecting the tilt angle of the steering wheel 10, and the potentiometer PM2 is for detecting the axial position of the steering wheel 10.

In this embodiment configured as described above, based on the switch ASW being closed by the driver, the microcomputer 31 starts executing the program corresponding to the flowchart of FIG. The process proceeds to step 41, where a signal from the vehicle speed sensor SSW is taken in and it is determined based on the signal whether the vehicle is stopped. If the vehicle is currently running, the microcomputer 31 makes a "NO" determination in step 41 and repeatedly executes the process of step 41. If the vehicle is stopped, the microcomputer 31 At step 41, rYEsJ is determined and the program proceeds to step 42.

In step 42, the microcomputer 31 receives a signal from the regulator REG and determines whether the engine is rotating based on the signal. If the engine is now rotating, the microcomputer 31 will step 4.
2, it is determined as rYEsJ and the program is executed at step 43.
If the engine is stopped, the microcomputer 31 determines rNOJ in step 42 and advances the program to step 44.

The microcomputer 31 takes in the signal from the potentiometer PMI in step 43, and combines the data obtained from the signal with the data stored in advance in a separate program (data representing the tilt angle obtained by adjusting the steering wheel 10). ) to determine whether the tilt angle on of the steering wheel 10 is the adjusted tilt angle θ0 (that is, the driving posture). Now, if the tilt angle ON is the adjusted tilt angle θ0, the microcomputer 31 determines "YES" in step 43, returns the program to step 41, and returns the tilt angle ON.
is not the adjusted tilt angle θ0, the microcomputer 31 determines rNO,+ in step 43 and advances the program to step 45.

The microcomputer 31 compares the tilt angle θ11 and the adjusted tilt angle θ0 in step 45, and when it determines that the tilt angle on is larger than the adjusted tilt angle θ0, the microcomputer 31 advances the program to step 46.
A falling signal is output to the motor drive circuit 34 at . As a result, the motor drive circuit 34 is connected to the steering wheel 10.
In order to rotate the electric motor 15 so that the angle θ is lowered, the steering wheel 10 is lowered toward the adjusted tilt angle θ0. This effect is maintained by the cyclic processing of steps 46 and 47 until the tilt angle θn becomes equal to the adjusted tilt angle θ0, and the tilt angle θn becomes equal to the adjusted tilt angle θ0.
When it becomes equal to 0, the microcomputer 31 determines "rYES" in step 47, advances the program to step 48, and outputs a stop signal to the motor drive circuit 34 in step 4B. As a result, the motor drive circuit 34 stops the electric motor 15, so the steering wheel 10 is stopped at the adjusted tilt angle θ0. Note that after the processing in step 48, the microcomputer 31 returns the program to step 41.

Further, the microcomputer 31 performs the step 4 described above.
If it is determined in step 5 that on is smaller than 00, the program advances to step 49, where a rising signal is output to the motor drive circuit 34. Thereby, the motor drive circuit 34 rotates the electric motor 15 so that the steering wheel 10 rises, so that the steering wheel 10 rises toward the adjusted tilt angle θ0.

This effect is maintained by the cyclic processing of steps 49 and 50 until the tilt angle θn becomes equal to the adjusted tilt angle θ0, and when the tilt angle θn becomes equal to the adjusted tilt angle θ0, the microcomputer 31 determines rYEsJ in step 50. Then, the program advances to step 48, where a stop signal is output to the motor drive circuit 34.

As a result, the motor drive circuit 34 stops the electric motor 15, so the steering wheel 10 is stopped at the adjusted tilt angle θ0.

As is clear from the above-described operation, in this embodiment, if the engine is rotating in a stopped vehicle, the tilt angle of the steering wheel 10 is adjusted to the tilt angle θ0.
It will be automatically adjusted so that Further, even when the driver gets into a stopped vehicle in which the steering wheel 10 is tilted away to the upper tilting end (retracted position) by the tilt mechanism A and starts the engine, the tilt angle of the steering wheel 10 is adjusted. The tilt angle is automatically adjusted to be θ0.

On the other hand, the microcomputer 31 performs the step 4 described above.
When the program advances from step 2 to step 44, a signal from the sensor TS is taken in at step 44, and it is determined based on the signal whether or not the turn signal is operating. If the turn signal is now operating, the microcomputer 31 determines rYEsJ in step 44 and returns the program to step 41; if the turn signal is not operating, the microcomputer 31
1 is determined to be rNOJ in step 44, and the program proceeds to step 51.

In step 51, the microcomputer 31 compares the data obtained by the signal from the potentiometer PMI with the data indicating that the steering wheel 10 is tilted away to the upper tilting end, and determines that the tilt angle on of the steering wheel 10 is the maximum. Tilt angle (
That is, it is determined whether or not the retracted posture is θt. Now, if the tilt angle θn of the steering wheel 10 is the maximum tilt angle θt, the microcomputer 31 determines rYEsJ in step 51, returns the program to step 41, and also returns the tilt angle θn of the steering wheel 10 to the maximum tilt angle θt. If the tilt angle is not θt, the microcomputer 31 determines rNOJ in step 51 and advances the program to step 52.

After delaying the program for a set time in step 52, the microcomputer 31 advances the program to step 53, where it again determines whether or not the engine is rotating. If the engine is currently rotating, the microcomputer 31 determines rYEsJ in step 53 and returns the program to step 41, and if the engine is stopped, the microcomputer 31 determines in step 53 that
It is determined that the result is rNOJ, and the program proceeds to step 54. This will cause the engine to stop temporarily (
When the engine stalls), the program executes step 54.
is prevented from proceeding.

The microcomputer 31 outputs a rising signal to the motor drive circuit 34 in step 54 . Thereby, the motor drive circuit 34 rotates the electric motor 15 so that the steering wheel 10 rises, so that the steering wheel 10 rises toward the maximum tilt angle θt. This effect is maintained by the cyclic processing of steps 54 and 55 until the tilt angle θn becomes equal to the maximum tilt angle θt, and when the tilt angle on reaches the maximum tilt angle θt,
The microcomputer 31 performs rYEs in step 55.
J is determined, and the program proceeds to step 56, where a stop signal is output to the motor drive circuit 34. As a result, the motor drive circuit 34 stops the electric motor 15, and the steering wheel 10 tilts away to the upper tilting end.

As is clear from the above-mentioned operation, in this embodiment, when the vehicle is stopped and the engine is stopped without the turn signal being activated, the steering wheel 10 automatically tilts away to the upward tilting end. This results in an operation that As a result, it becomes easier for the driver to get on and off the vehicle.

Note that the execution of the above-mentioned program continues until the switch ASW is opened, and when the switches SWI to SW4 are operated while the above-mentioned program is being executed, the program is interrupted.

As is clear from the above explanation, in this example,
As the insertion and removal of the key shown in Figure 2 is not detected as a starting condition for the automatic operation of automatically changing the steering wheel 10 to the retracted position or to the original position (driving position), the key K is left inserted temporarily. Even if you leave the vehicle for a certain reason,
By stopping the vehicle and stopping the engine while the turn signal is not activated, the steering wheel 10 and the like can be automatically placed in the retracted position, thereby improving the ease of getting on and off the vehicle.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, starting the engine after getting into the vehicle is a condition for automatically starting the operation of the steering wheel 10, etc. to the driving position, so the key K moves integrally with the steering wheel 10, etc. in the vehicle. Even in the case of key K during the engine starting operation using key K.
does not move, and operability is not hindered at all.

[Modified example]

In the above embodiment, when the steering wheel 10 automatically tilts away or returns to its original position, the telescopic mechanism B is prevented from operating.
In such a case, the telescopic mechanism B is also activated so that when the steering wheel 10 automatically tilts away, it is simultaneously shifted to the forward movement end, and when the steering wheel 10 is returned to its original position by the tilt mechanism A. At the same time, it is also possible to use the telescopic mechanism B to return to the original state.

Further, in the embodiment described above, stopping of the vehicle is determined based on the signal from the vehicle speed sensor SSW, engine rotation is determined based on the signal from the regulator REG, and the steering wheel 10 is in the retracted position or the driving position. However, it is determined based on the signal from the potentiometer PMI whether or not the vehicle is stopped, and the engine rotation is determined based on the signal from the detection means such as a switch linked with the parking brake. It is determined based on a signal from other detection means such as a negative pressure switch that detects negative pressure, and operates when the steering wheel 10 is tilted to the upward tilting end to determine whether the steering wheel 10 is in the retracted position or the driving position. It is also possible to implement the present invention by making the determination based on a signal from other detection means such as a limit switch.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the operation of the turn signal is detected as one of the conditions for restricting the tilt-away operation other than when getting off the vehicle, but separately or in place of this, the program shown in FIG. It is also possible to provide a time lag of a predetermined time between step 42 and step 51, and to provide a step of determining the rotation of the engine again.

Further, in the above embodiment, steps 52 and 53 are provided between steps 51 and 54 in order to prevent automatic tilt-away when the engine is stalled, but instead of steps 52 and 53, the steering wheel lO
A step is provided to detect the load applied to the motor using a motor drive current or a load sensor (load cell), etc., and prevent automatic tilt-away when a downward load is applied by the driver, or to change the shift position in a manual transmission vehicle. It is also possible to provide and implement a step of detecting and preventing automatic tilt away in a state other than neutral.

In addition, in an embodiment in which the rotation of the engine is detected by a negative pressure switch, a negative pressure control valve VTV as shown in FIG. 6 is provided between the negative pressure switch and the intake manifold to detect the engine rotation. It is also possible to operate the negative pressure switch without delay when the engine is started, and after a predetermined time delay when the engine is stopped.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram corresponding to the configuration of the invention described in the claims, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the driver's seat of an automobile equipped with a vehicle steering wheel according to the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an electrical circuit diagram including the switch shown in FIG. 2 and the electric motor shown in FIG. 3; FIG. This figure is a flowchart of a program executed by the microcomputer shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a negative pressure control valve that can be employed in implementing the present invention. Description of symbols 10...Steering wheel, 15...DC motor, 30...Electric control device, 31...Microcomputer, 34...Drive circuit, SSWΦ meeting φ vehicle speed sensor, REG...Regulator , TS...sensor, P
MI...potentiometer, A-fight/tilt mechanism,
B...Telescopic mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A steering wheel for a vehicle with an electric attitude setting mechanism, which is equipped with an attitude setting mechanism such as a tilt mechanism or a telescopic mechanism driven by an electric motor, includes a running detection means for detecting the running state of the vehicle and detecting the rotation of the engine. an engine rotation detection means for detecting an operating state of a turn signal; a turn signal detection means for detecting an operating state of a turn signal; an attitude detection means for detecting an attitude of the attitude setting mechanism; a first determining means for determining whether or not the engine is rotating; a second determining means for determining whether the engine is rotating based on a signal from the engine rotation detecting means; and a second determining means for determining whether the engine is rotating based on a signal from the turn signal detecting means. and a fourth determining means for determining whether or not the attitude setting mechanism is in a driving position based on a signal from the attitude detecting means. , fifth determining means for determining whether or not the attitude setting mechanism is in the retracted position based on a signal from the attitude detecting means; 2. It is determined by the second determination means that the engine is rotating, and the fourth determination means determines that the engine is rotating.
a first control means for controlling the electric motor so that the attitude setting mechanism is in the driving position when the judgment means determines that the attitude setting mechanism is not in the driving position; and a first control means for controlling the electric motor so that the attitude setting mechanism is in the driving position; The second determining means determines that the engine is not rotating, the third determining means determines that the turn signal is not operating, and the fifth determining means determines that the attitude setting mechanism A steering wheel for a vehicle with an electric attitude setting mechanism, characterized in that a second control means is provided for controlling the electric motor so that the attitude setting mechanism assumes the retracted position when it is determined that the electric motor is not in the retracted position.