JPS647330B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A. Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a steering simulator device used for steady-state driving tests of automobiles using a chassis dynamometer or the like.

B. Prior Art When testing the performance of an automobile, it is not very desirable for a human to actually drive the test automobile due to various conditions. For example, operating a test vehicle for a long period of time is dangerous and increases driver fatigue. Therefore, various automatic motion simulator devices have been developed.

When developing this type of simulator device, the distance between the driver's seat and pedals such as the accelerator and clutch is different between ordinary passenger cars and automobiles such as trucks, and in passenger cars, the ordinary seat (seat and backrest) is the same as the driver's seat There are various differences, such as the fact that the simulator device is relatively easy to install due to the fact that it is separated from the front passenger seat, but it is difficult to install it in the case of a truck. In order to install and test the seat on a seat, many difficult problems must be solved.

Conventionally, as an automatic driving simulator,
-There is one described in Publication No. 100701. This thing is
A pneumatic cylinder is adopted as an actuator used as an actual driving simulator of a car, and a first support bracket is installed on the body air in the driver's cabin, so that the cylinders for accelerator operation, brake operation, clutch operation, etc. are arranged parallel to each other, and One end of the cylinder body is pivotably supported so that the above-mentioned pedals are operated via a piston rod protruding from the piston of each air cylinder and a connecting rod connected to the piston rod. Further, a second support bracket is provided adjacent to the first support bracket to which a cylinder for operating a speed change lever is attached, and a tandem configuration for operating the speed change lever is provided on the second support bracket. It is configured to pivotally support the sector and shift cylinders.

The device described in JP-A-49-100701 has a first support bracket to which an air cylinder for pedal operation is attached and a second support bracket to which an air cylinder for shift lever operation is attached. Installation is difficult unless the seat is removed.

In addition, a cylinder for operating the accelerator and a cylinder for operating the gear shift lever are installed on one bottom frame corresponding to the support bracket,
There is one described in Publication No. 1402. This device also has an automatically operated actuator mounted on the same bottom frame, and is configured to be installed in the passenger compartment using guide rails after the seat is removed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 15201 (1973) is a method for installing an actuator for unmanned driving without removing the seat.
There is a device described in the above publication, but this device includes only an actuating unit for operating each accelerator, and does not include an actuating unit for operating the gear shift lever.

C. Problems to be Solved by the Invention When a person operates a car, it is possible for the same person to drive the car even if the car is of a different type, such as a passenger car, a small cargo vehicle, or a large vehicle.
For example, as shown in Figure 1a, the configuration of the driver's seat in a passenger car shows that because the overall height of a passenger car is low, the seat 2 has a somewhat steep incline, and the driver's seat is in a semi-lying position, and the brake, clutch, accelerator, etc. The foot that operates 4 is held up relatively high. In addition, the gear change lever 5 of the transmission is often installed at the top of the screw shaft tunnel in the center of the vehicle, and depending on the car model, it may be installed on the steering column 5', but in any case, its operation part is It is in a relatively low position. In FIG. 1A, 1 is a driver, 2' is a safety belt, 3 is a steering wheel, and 4' is a fulcrum of a pedal.

On the other hand, in the configuration of the driver's seat of a large vehicle shown in Figure 1b, the driver's seat 2A is in a high position, which improves the visibility of the vehicle and reduces the need to limit the height of the driver's seat. The vehicle is designed to be operated in an upright position, and the foot pedals 4A are operated in a position similar to a state in which the feet are hanging down, and the change lever 5A is provided at a relatively high position.
As is clear from this example, the height and spacing of the foot pedals 4, 4A, etc. differ depending on the vehicle type, and the positions of the change levers 5, 5A, etc. also differ.

In this way, even if the configuration of each driver's seat differs depending on the car model, when a human is driving, it is possible to operate the vehicle in the optimal posture for each driver, but when using a simulator device, it is possible to operate the vehicle using the foot pedal and the driver's seat. Because there is no flexibility in the configuration of the connection part with the change lever etc.
It is necessary to install it in the optimal simulator device for each vehicle type. That is, it is necessary to provide a simulator device exclusively for each vehicle type, which is designed to match the configuration of the driver's seat for each vehicle type. However, it is expensive to provide a simulator device for each car model, and for this reason, the pedal operating mechanism and change lever operating mechanism are provided separately, and the mechanism is placed at the optimal position of the driver's seat depending on each car model. It is also possible to arrange the system in combination with the above, but this method requires a larger installation space and requires the driver's seat to be removed, or the mechanism is placed somewhere other than the driver's seat and transmitted to the driver's seat via a link or cable wire. I can't help it. If this is done, installation, adjustment, and removal work will take time, and the work will also be complicated and require a lot of skill. The above-mentioned conventional techniques have not yet solved these problems.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has been developed so that it is possible to perform automobile tests for each type of car using one simulator device without changing the structure or design depending on the car type, and it is extremely easy to install and install on the car type. The present invention provides a simulator device that can perform the following tasks.

D. Means for Solving the Problems The simulator device of the present invention has a pedal operating section that operates the accelerator, brake pedals, etc. of an automobile, and a change lever operating section that operates the gear change lever to shift and select. The pedal operating section is an operating section that can be mounted on a driver's seat of an automobile, and the pedal operating section includes a plurality of first link operating devices that operate independently, are rotatable, and are supported at adjustable intervals, and one end of the pedal operating section. is rotatably operated by each of these link operating devices, and is loosely fitted to a fixed shaft and connected to adjust the relative angular position; one end is connected to the other end of the operating lever, and the other end is connected to the other end of the operating lever. and a connecting rod that engages with an operating pedal of a vehicle to operate the operating pedal,
The change lever actuating section further includes an operating arm that is attached to an end of a hollow shaft that is connected to a hinge at one end and rotatably supported at the other end in a hanging direction and rotatably; a telescoping rod having one end rotatably attached to the hinge and a change lever coupling device for operating a change lever at the other end; a thrust shaft penetrating through the hollow shaft and movable in the axial direction; a shift mechanism that rotates the hollow shaft using a second link operating device to swing the operating arm and shift the change lever; The present invention is characterized by comprising a select mechanism that moves the lever in the axial direction, pivots the operating arm via the transmission fitting, and selectively operates the change lever via the connecting rod.

E. Effect The operating section of this simulator device is mounted on the seat of the test vehicle, and the pedal operating section adjusts the relative angle of the operating lever according to the positional relationship between the pedal and operating lever, which differs depending on the vehicle model, and also adjusts the relative angle of each pedal. Adjust the position of the control lever according to the spacing. Each pedal is then individually operated by an independent first link operating device.

The change lever operating section connects the change lever coupling tool to the operating section of the change lever by adjusting the rod connected to the operating arm to extend or contract to an appropriate length. Then, the second link operating device shifts the change lever, and the third link operating device selects the change lever.

F. Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention that can be used in a vehicle with a floor-type change lever will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the simulator device of this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of its internal mechanism. In FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral 10 denotes an operating section having a housing that can be attached to and detached from the driver's seat of various automobiles, and forms a substantially L-shaped housing together with a cover 10'. As described below, a pedal operating section for operating the foot pedal of the test vehicle and a change lever operating section for operating the gear change lever are incorporated into the operating section 10.

In other words, the pedal operating section is an automobile accelerator,
Three sets of lever means of the same mechanism are provided corresponding to the brake and clutch pedals, respectively. For example, to explain the accelerator pedal actuating lever means a, reference numerals 21 and 22 are cylinder/piston mechanisms for operation, forming a link operating device, and the piston 22 is extended and operated to operate the accelerator via link systems 11 and 26, which will be described later. Manipulate. Note that this link operating device may be other means such as an electric plunger mechanism. In this cylinder/piston mechanism 21, 22, the operating section 10 has one end 23 of a cylinder 21 supported on a supported fixed shaft 24, and the tip of the piston 22 is attached to an operating lever 26, which is a part of the link system, by a hinge 25. connected. The cylinder 21 is loosely supported by the fixed shaft 24, and can move in the axial direction or swing around the axis.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the operating lever 26, which is rotatably supported on a fixed shaft 27 supported at the lower part of the operating section 10, has a toothed shape 26 on one side of the boss section.
a is formed, and this tooth profile 26a meshes with a tooth profile 11a formed on the side surface of the boss of the operating lever 11, which is similarly loosely fitted to the fixed shaft 27. These operating levers 26, 11 are provided with adjustment screws 26
By loosening the screw 26c, the meshing position between the tooth profile 26a and the tooth profile 11a can be changed, and the relative angular position of both operating levers 26 and 11 can be changed as appropriate. can do. In the figure, 26b is a pin hole for pin coupling with the hinge 25, and 11b
is a connecting rod 12' for connecting with the operating pedal.
This is a hole for a joint pin (described later).

In the pedal actuating section exemplified above with the accelerator pedal actuating lever means a, a brake pedal actuating lever means b and a clutch pedal actuating lever means c having the same configuration are provided in parallel, and each is controlled by an external control means. Operated independently. Further, in order to feedback control the operation, each cylinder/piston mechanism 21, 22 has a rod 28' that operates together with the piston 22, and a pressure detector 28 using a potentiometer. It is attached and detects the operating state of the cylinder/piston mechanisms 21 and 22. Although not shown in the drawings, each operating lever means a, b,
It is preferable to provide a stopper or the like on the fixed shafts 24, 27 in order to prevent unlimited movement of each actuating lever means a, b, c when changing the relative spacing of the actuating levers a, b, c.

On the other hand, the change lever operating section has the following configuration. In FIGS. 2 and 3, an operating arm 15 extending substantially vertically to the side of the operating section 10 is connected to the rod 14 at its lower end by a hinge 14'.
This rod 14 is telescopic, such as a cylinder-piston mechanism, and has a change lever coupling 13 attached to its tip that can be rotated in any direction. As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 6, the upper end 15' of the operating arm 15 is rotatably attached to the tip of a hollow shaft 37, which is horizontally supported by a bearing 38 so that the operating section 10 can rotate. The thrust shaft 39' is attached to the hollow shaft 37 and is connected to the protruding tip portion of the thrust shaft 39' via a transmission metal fitting 48 and a lever 15b fixed to the operating arm 15.

A lever 34 is formed at the base of the hollow shaft 37 , and a piston 31 of a cylinder-piston mechanism, in which a cylinder 30 is swingably fixed to the operating section 10 by a hinge 32 , is attached to the lever 34 . connected via. This cylinder
The piston mechanisms 30 and 31 may also be link operation devices using other means, and a pressure detector 35 using a potentiometer or the like may be used as a link operating device using other means.
It is attached in the same way as 1 and 22. The cylinder/piston mechanisms 30 and 31 extend substantially in the vertical direction, and the lever 34 is extended by the expansion and contraction of the piston 31.
The hollow shaft 37 can be pivoted through the shaft.

Further, an operating section 10 is provided at the base of the thrust shaft 39'.
The upper end of a lever 45 whose lower end is pivotally supported by a pin seat 44 and whose upper end can swing in the direction of the thrust axis is coupled to the lever 45 . In this coupled state, as shown in a detailed sectional view in FIG. 5, the drum 39 with both flanges is loosely inserted into the boss 50, which has a large diameter at the center and is fitted to the base of the thrust shaft 39'. This drum 39 has spring seats 52a, 53a and 52b, 53.
A pair of compression springs 51a and 51b interposed between b
is held between. Further, between the flanges of the drum 39, a pin 45'' is formed in a substantially U-shape.
said lever 45 having a roller 47 supported on
The upper end portions 45' of the two are fitted together. The lever 45 is connected to a piston 41 of the cylinder/piston mechanisms 40, 41 via a hinge 43 at an intermediate portion. The cylinder/piston mechanisms 40 and 41 may be link operation devices using other means similar to the cylinder/piston mechanisms described above, and a pressure sensor 42 using a potentiometer may be used.
is attached.

Next, the manner of use and operation of the simulator device will be explained with reference to the skeleton diagram of FIG. 6 and FIGS. 7 to 9.

First, when this simulator device is mounted on a vehicle, it is carried out as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9. That is, as shown in FIGS. 9a and 9b, regardless of the configuration of the driver's seat, the operating section 10 of the present simulator device
After mounting the simulator device on the seats 2 and 2A, the height of the backing plate 17 provided on the back and bottom surface of the operation unit 10 is adjusted to set the simulator device in a predetermined posture. At this time, the safety belt 2' may be used, but it is of course also possible to fix it to the seat with high rigidity, for example, as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 55-22518.

Next, a pedal gripping device 12 described in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 55-47712 is attached to each foot pedal 4, 4A of the accelerator, brake, and clutch, and each pedal 4, 4A and each operating lever are connected via this pedal gripping device 12. 11 by a rod 12'. At this time, since the connection angle between the pedals 4, 4A and the operating lever 11 differs depending on the vehicle model, the relationship between the pedals 4, 4A and the rod 12' should be adjusted so that the transmission is most efficient (the rod 12' is connected at the center of the operating stroke). The coupling relationship between the operating lever 11 and the operating lever 26 is appropriately adjusted as described above so that the angle between the operating lever 12' and the operating lever 11 is close to a right angle. Also, the intervals between the pedal operating lever means a, b, and c are changed in accordance with the pedal interval. on the other hand,
To connect the change levers 5, 5A, extend the rod 14 connected to the operating arm 15 to an appropriate length as shown in FIG. Join. This state is shown by A and B in the figure.

As described above, the operation section 10 of the present simulator device
By mounting the device on a vehicle, the following effects become possible, but it goes without saying that various methods can be used to secure the device described above to the seat.

The operation of this simulator device is as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3, in the pedal operating section, when a signal is applied to the cylinder/piston mechanisms 21 and 22, the piston 22 reciprocates in the direction of arrow G, and the operation is performed. The levers 26 and 11 are rotated (swung) in the directions of arrows H and I, respectively. Accordingly, the rod 12' is moved in the direction of the arrow I' to actuate each pedal 4, 4'.

In the change lever actuating section, as is well known, the change levers 5 and 5A switch the transmission in the operation pattern shown in Fig. 8; Direction operation (select operation)
need to be done. The shift operation is performed by a shift mechanism,
That is, the piston 31 is
moves in the direction of arrow J, and along with this, the lever 34
rotates together with the hollow shaft 37 in the direction of the arrow, and the operating arm 15 swings in the direction of the arrow L, thereby moving the rod 14 in the direction of the arrow M and shifting the change lever 5 in the direction of the arrow N.

In addition, the selection operation is performed by the selection mechanism, that is, the cylinder/piston mechanisms 40, 41, the lever 45, the thrust shaft 39', etc., so that the piston 41 moves in the direction of arrow P and swings the lever 45 in the same direction. The thrust shaft 39' is moved in the direction of arrow R. The movement of the thrust shaft 39' is achieved by rotating the operating arm 15 in the direction of arrow S by the link action of the transmission metal fitting 48 and lever 15b, and by rotating the rod 14 in the direction of arrow T, the change lever 5 is moved in the direction of arrow V. Select will be activated. In this case, since the joint between the lever 45 and the thrust shaft 39' is as shown in FIG. The thrust shaft 39' is moved by the balancing action of the lever 51b, but if the change lever 5 is located at the select end and cannot be moved any further, for the safety of the select mechanism, the As shown in the figure, only the drum 39 moves beyond the balance of the springs 51a and 51b.

Next, a description will be given of a device in which the present simulator device is applied when the change lever 5' is attached to a steering column or the like. 10th
In the figure, the main body of the simulator device is exactly the same as the device described above, and the only difference is a mechanism such as a lever provided between the thrust shaft 39' and the operating arm 15 for performing the selection operation.

In other words, if the change lever 5' is attached to the steering column, the selection direction of the change lever 5' will be approximately 90 degrees different from that of the floor type (for the column type, the selection direction is approximately vertical). It is. In the figure, 72 is the upper end portion 15' of the operating arm 15.
with a bell crank pivotally connected by pin 72' to
One end is connected by a pin 71' to a substantially L-shaped transmission fitting 71 attached to the thrust shaft 39', and the other end is connected to a rod 74 via a universal joint 73. A universal joint 73' is also attached to the opposite end of this rod 74.
3' is an intermediate stand 7 provided at the intermediate part of the rod 14.
It is connected to 5.

In this case, the change lever coupling 13 provided at the tip of the rod 14 is attached to the change lever 5' as shown by C in FIG.
Therefore, as the thrust shaft 39' moves in the direction of the arrow R, the bell crank 72 rotates in the direction of the arrow S' due to the linkage between the transmission fitting 71 and the bell crank 72, and the rod 74 moves in the direction of the arrow T'. Move to. Therefore, the rod 14 swings in the direction of arrow V' and thrusts the change lever 5'. The shift operation is the same as in the previous case.

11 and 12 show other embodiments, the one in FIG. 11 is one in which the thrust shaft 39' and the rod 74 are directly connected by a bell crank 80, and the one in FIG. The rack 81 attached to the thrust shaft 39' meshes with the sector gear 83 attached to the lever 82 connected to the rod 74.
The movement in this direction is the movement of the rod 74 in the direction of arrow T', and the column type change lever 5' is selectively operated as described above.

The operation unit 10 of the simulator device described above
When mounting this on the driver's seat of a vehicle, it is preferable to use a mounting device as shown in FIG. 13. In the figure, reference numeral 60 is an actuator section that houses a power source such as a hydraulic unit, an air compressor, or accessories for an operating device such as a distributor;
Reference numerals 1 and 62 indicate lifting fittings provided on the actuator section 60. This lifting metal fitting 61,6
Reference numeral 2 denotes a hooking portion (in this embodiment, a simple hole 10a,
10b), and in this embodiment, the hole 10
It is provided as a pin that fits into the holes a and 10b. Of course, other structures may also be used.

The lifting fittings 61 and 62 are provided on an arm 63, and the arm 63 is connected to one lifting fitting 61.
The metal fitting 61 is fixed to the main shaft 61' of the arm 63, and the metal fitting 61 is protruded from the tip of the arm 63, and rotates in the direction of the arrow X to lift the lifting metal fittings 61, 62, that is, the operating part 10
The tilt can be adjusted. 64 is a tilting device for this purpose. Further, the tilting device 64 is provided in a vertical device 65, and is moved in the direction of arrow Y (vertical direction) by the vertical device 65.

Furthermore, 66 is a front-rear device for moving the tilting device 64 in and out in the direction of arrow W, and allows the operation unit 10 to be moved from the side of the driver's seat to above the driver's seat or vice versa. Reference numeral 67 indicates wheels for moving the mounted device actuator section 60, and although casters are normally used, other devices may also be used.
In such a case, depending on the operating state of the mounted device, there is a risk that the center of gravity will tilt and the mounted device will fall, but the caster 67a on the simulator device side is attached to the telescopic rod 68 so that it can protrude in the direction of arrow Z in the figure. This will help prevent falls. Note that the range of elevation in the direction of arrow Y is quite high for large freight vehicles, and if the front wheels of the vehicle are located below the driver's seat, the telescopic rod 68 may not be able to extend downwards of the vehicle. Preferably, the left-hand caster in the figure is also provided with a similar telescoping rod. Further, numeral 16 in the figure indicates piping or wiring for operating each mechanism within the simulator device, and is connected to the mounting device.

G. Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, according to the simulator device of the present invention, even if the configurations of the foot pedal and the change lever differ depending on the vehicle model, the pedal actuation mechanism and the change lever actuation mechanism can be adjusted accordingly. Moreover, even if the change lever type is different, it can be used by simply changing a part of the configuration, so there is no need to provide a separate simulator device depending on the vehicle type, and costs can be reduced. In addition, since it is provided as a single simulator device, it is extremely easy to install it in various vehicles with different driver seat shapes and heights, and it can be set up with simple work after being installed in the vehicle. There is no need to make any modifications to the material, which saves the worker's effort and minimizes fatigue.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1a and b are schematic configuration diagrams showing the configuration of the driver's seat of the vehicle, Figure 2 is an external perspective view of the operating section of the simulator device, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the internal structure, and Figure 4
Figure 5 is a partially exploded perspective view of the operating lever, Figure 5 is a sectional view of the connecting part, Figure 6 is a skeleton diagram, Figure 7 is a side view showing the set state, Figure 8 is a diagram of the operation pattern of the change lever, 9a and 9b are schematic configuration diagrams in a set state, FIGS. 10 to 12 are perspective views of other embodiments, and FIG. 13 is an overall perspective view of the simulator device of the present invention. 2... Seat, 4... Pedal, 5, 5'... Change lever, 10... Operating unit, 11... Operating lever, 12'... Rod, 14... Rod, 15...
...Operation arm, 16...Piping (wiring), 21,2
2... Cylinder/piston mechanism constituting the first link operating device, 26... Operating lever, 30,
31...Cylinder/piston mechanism constituting the second link operating device, 37...Hollow shaft, 39'...
Thrust shaft, 40, 41...Cylinder/piston mechanism constituting the third link operating device, 48...
Transmission lever, 60... actuator section, 61,
62...Metal fitting, 63...Arm, 64...Tilt device, 65...Vertical movement device, 66...Back and forth device,
...Pedal actuation part, ...Change lever actuation part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An operating section that can be installed in the driver's seat of an automobile of various types of vehicles, which has a pedal operating section that operates the pedals of an automobile, and a change lever operating section that operates a gear change lever to shift and select. , a plurality of first link operating devices each operating independently and rotatably supported at adjustable intervals, one end of which is rotatably operated by each of the link operating devices and attached to a fixed shaft; an operating lever that is loosely fitted and connected so that its relative angular position can be adjusted; and a connecting rod that has one end connected to the other end of the operating lever and that engages with an operating pedal of the vehicle to operate the operating pedal. Further, the change lever actuating part is attached to an end of a hollow shaft which is connected to a hinge at one end and rotatably supported at the other end so as to be pivotable in a hanging direction. an operating arm; an extensible rod having one end rotatably attached to the hinge and a change lever coupling device for operating a change lever at the other end; the thrust shaft and the second
a shift mechanism that rotates the hollow shaft using a link operating device to swing the operating arm and shift the change lever; and a shift mechanism that rotates the thrust shaft in the axial direction by a third link operating device. A simulator device for an automobile, comprising: a select mechanism that moves the operating arm via a transmission metal fitting, and selectively operates the change lever via the connecting rod.