Shift device for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a shift device for a vehicle that enables driving through a shift lever operation for a disabled person when the disabled person drives and enables driving through a normal shift lever operation when a non-disabled person drives.SOLUTION: In a disabled-person mode, a shift lever 42 is set with an accelerator operation position A and a brake operation position B, a set shift indication Sif is displayed on a shift display device 46, an operation of the shift lever 42 toward the accelerator operation position A enable an accelerator operation, and an operation of the shift lever 42 toward the brake operation position B enables a brake operation. In a non-disabled-person mode, the shift lever 42 is not set with the accelerator operation position A and the brake operation position B, the set shift indication Sif is displayed on the shift display device 46, and the accelerator operation and the brake operation via the shift lever are disabled.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shift device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] A vehicle shift device has been proposed that allows a person with a disability in the lower limbs to drive a car by operating the accelerator and brakes using a shift lever in addition to selecting a shift range of an automatic transmission using the shift lever. For example, the vehicle control device described in Patent Document 1 is one such device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-165350 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when an able-bodied person drives the vehicle described in Patent Document 1, they are required to perform the same operations as a disabled person, which makes driving difficult for able-bodied persons because these driving operations are unfamiliar to them.

[0005] The present invention has been made against the background of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a shift device for a vehicle that allows a disabled person to drive by operating a shift lever designed for disabled people, and allows an able-bodied person to drive by operating a normal shift lever. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The gist of the present invention is to provide a vehicle shift device that (a) allows the selection of one of a plurality of shift ranges set in an automatic transmission by positioning a shift lever in one of a plurality of shift positions, and enables the operation of an accelerator and a brake by using the shift lever, (b) has a first mode for disabled persons and a second mode for able-bodied persons, (c) in the first mode, an accelerator operation position and a brake operation position are set, and a display of the plurality of shift positions set in the first mode and a display of the accelerator operation position and the brake operation position are displayed on a shift display unit, the accelerator operation is enabled by operating the shift lever toward the accelerator operation position, and the brake operation is enabled by operating the shift lever toward the brake operation position, and (d) in the second mode, the plurality of shift positions are set without setting the accelerator operation position and the brake operation position, and a display of the plurality of shift positions set in the second mode is displayed on the shift display unit, and the accelerator operation and the brake operation by using the shift lever are disabled. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, in the first mode, an accelerator operation position and a brake operation position are set on the shift lever, and the display of the multiple shift positions set in the first mode and the display of the accelerator operation position and the brake operation position are displayed on a shift display unit, the accelerator operation is enabled by operating the shift lever toward the accelerator operation position, and the brake operation is enabled by operating the shift lever toward the brake operation position, and in the second mode, the multiple shift positions are set without setting the accelerator operation position and the brake operation is disabled by operating the multiple shift positions set in the second mode on the shift display unit. This makes it possible to provide a shift device for a vehicle that allows a disabled person to drive by operating the shift lever for the disabled person, and allows a able-bodied person to drive by operating the normal shift lever. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied, and is also a diagram illustrating main parts of control functions and a control system for various controls in the vehicle. [Diagram 2] 2A to 2C are diagrams illustrating the difference in operation between a disabled person mode and an able-bodied person mode of the shift device in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control operation when a disabled person mode and an able-bodied person mode are set in the control of an electronic control device provided in the shift device of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. EXAMPLES

[0010] 1 is a diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of a vehicle 10 to which the present invention is applied, and also illustrates the main parts of the control functions and control systems for various controls in the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 is equipped with an engine 12 as a power source, an automatic transmission 18, a transmission mechanism 20 (output shaft, propeller shaft, final reduction gear, left and right drive shafts, etc.), and drive wheels 14.

[0011] The engine 12 is controlled by an engine control device 30 provided in the vehicle 10, which controls the output of the engine 12. The automatic transmission 18 is controlled by a hydraulic control circuit 32 provided in the vehicle 10, which performs gear changes. The power output from the engine 12 is transmitted to the drive wheels 14 via the automatic transmission 18 and a transmission mechanism 20 connected to the engine 12.

[0012] In the vehicle 10, the shift range POSsh of the automatic transmission 18 is changed over using a shift-by-wire system. The shift range POSsh is, for example, P, R, N, D, and S ranges. The P range indicates a parking range, the R range a reverse driving range, the N range a neutral range, the D range a forward driving range, and the S range a forward driving range with a higher gear ratio than the D range.

[0013] The vehicle 10 further includes a parking switching device 34, a brake control device 38, an authentication device 88, a shift device 50, and the like.

[0014] The parking switching device 34 is a device that switches the shift range POSsh of the automatic transmission 18 to the P range. In the P range, the power transmission of the automatic transmission 18 is interrupted, and the parking lock mechanism 36 fixes the transmission mechanism 20 and the drive wheels 14 so that they cannot rotate.

[0015] The brake control device 38 controls the braking force of each wheel brake 22 provided on the driving wheels 14 and on driven wheels (non-driving wheels) not shown.

[0016] The authentication device 88 is a device that authenticates the driver and identifies attributes, etc. (hereinafter referred to as driver authentication). For the driver authentication, for example, biometric authentication such as face authentication, device authentication using a dedicated key, operation by the driver, etc. are preferably used. Authentication information Drz from the authentication device 88 is supplied to the electronic control device 70.

[0017] The shift device 50 is an operating device for selecting a shift range POSsh of the automatic transmission 18, and includes a shift console 40 and an electronic control device 70. The shift device 50 also functions as an operating device for the accelerator and brake in a disabled person mode, which will be described later.

[0018] The shift console 40 is an operating part of the shift device 50, and includes a shift lever 42, a P switch 44, a shift display device 46, and an H switch 48. The shift lever 42 is a momentary type operating element that returns to a predetermined home position after operation, and has five operating positions a, b, c, d, and e and one home position h, as shown in FIG. 1. An operating position signal Lp corresponding to operation to each operating position and return to the home position h is supplied to the electronic control device 70. The P switch 44 is a switch that is operated when the shift range POSsh of the automatic transmission 18 is selected to the P range. The H switch 48 is a switch that sets the operation of a brake hold that automatically applies the brakes to the wheel brakes 22 provided on the driving wheels 14 and the driven wheels (non-driving wheels) so that the vehicle 10 can be kept stopped when the vehicle 10 stops. The P switch 44 and the H switch 48 are non-locking push switches that return to a predetermined home position after operation, and an operation signal Psw of the P switch 44 and an operation signal Hsw of the H switch 48 are supplied to the electronic control device 70. The shift display device 46 is a device that displays a shift display Sif that shows the allocation of the operating position of the shift lever 42.

[0019] The vehicle 10 is provided with an electronic control device 70 serving as a controller that also serves as a control device for the shift device 50. The electronic control device 70 includes a microcomputer.

[0020] The electronic control device 70 is supplied with various signals (e.g., the rotation speed No of the drive wheels 14, the accelerator opening θa, the brake operation amount θb, authentication information Drz, the operation position signal Lp, the P switch operation signal Psw, the H switch operation signal Hsw, etc.) based on detection values ​​by various sensors (e.g., a rotation speed sensor 82 of the drive wheels 14, an accelerator opening sensor 84, a brake operation amount sensor 86, an authentication device 88, a shift lever 42, a P switch 44, an H switch 48, etc.) provided on the vehicle 10. In addition, the vehicle speed V is obtained from the rotation speed No of the drive wheels 14.

[0021] The electronic control device 70 outputs various command signals (e.g., engine control command signal Se, transmission control command signal Sat, brake control command signal Sb, P switching control command signal Spk, shift display device Sif, etc.) to each device provided in the vehicle 10 (e.g., engine control device 30, hydraulic control circuit 32, parking switching device 34, brake control device 38, shift display device 46, etc.).

[0022] The electronic control unit 70 functionally comprises a drive control unit 72, a shift control unit 74, and a driver authentication unit 76.

[0023] The drive control unit 72 performs driving control of the vehicle 10. For example, the drive control unit 72 calculates a required drive torque Tr for the vehicle 10 by the driver by applying the accelerator opening θa (or the accelerator opening θa1 described later) and the vehicle speed V to a predetermined drive demand map, and outputs an engine control command signal Se to the engine control device 30 so as to realize the required drive torque Tr. The drive control unit 72 outputs a transmission control command signal Sat to the hydraulic control circuit 32 so as to obtain the selected shift range POSsh based on a range command Ssh from a shift control unit 74 described later that instructs switching of the shift range POSsh, and a shift map that is a predetermined relationship based on the accelerator opening θa and the vehicle speed V. Furthermore, the drive control unit 72 outputs a brake control command signal Sb to the brake control device 38 so as to obtain a braking force corresponding to the brake operation amount θb (or a brake operation amount θb1 described below) and, when the brake hold is set by operating the H switch 48, so as to obtain a braking force that allows the vehicle 10 to maintain a stopped state every time the vehicle 10 stops. Furthermore, when the accelerator is operated in the brake hold state, the drive control unit 72 outputs a brake control command signal Sb to the brake control device 38 so as to release the braking force.

[0024] The driver authentication unit 76 performs driver authentication based on authentication information Drz from the authentication device 88. For example, the driver authentication unit 76 outputs to the drive control unit 72 and the shift control unit 74 identification information Dmd indicating whether the driver is a person with a disability in the lower limbs or a person without disabilities, which is registered in advance.

[0025] The shift control unit 74 selects the shift range POSsh by operating the shift lever 42 and the P switch 44 of the shift console 40. In addition, in the case of a handicapped person mode described later, the shift control unit 74 also controls the accelerator operation and the brake operation.

[0026] When the P switch 44 is operated, the shift control unit 74 outputs a range command Ssh to select the N range to the drive control unit 72, and also outputs a P switching control command signal Spk to the parking switching device 34, switching the shift range POSsh to the P range.

[0027] The operation of the shift lever 42 and the shift display device 46 by the shift control unit 74 has a disabled person mode and an able-bodied person mode, and the operation mode is selected based on the identification information Dmd from the driver authentication unit 76.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the difference in operation of the shift lever 42 and the shift display device 46 between the disabled person mode and the able-bodied person mode.

[0029] In the case of the handicapped mode, the operation of selecting the R range, N range, and D range of the shift range POSsh is assigned to the operation positions a, b, and c of the shift lever 42, respectively. For example, when the shift lever 42 is operated to the operation position a, the shift control unit 74 outputs a range command Ssh for selecting the R range to the drive control unit 72. Similarly, the N range and the D range are selected for the operation positions b and c. In addition, the accelerator operation position A for performing the accelerator operation is assigned to the operation position e, and the brake operation position B for performing the brake operation is assigned to the operation position d. The accelerator opening θa1 is output from the shift control unit 74 to the drive control unit 72 by operating the shift lever 42 to the accelerator operation position A (operation position e), and the brake operation amount θb1 is output from the shift control unit 74 to the drive control unit 72 by operating the shift lever 42 to the brake operation position B (operation position d). The accelerator opening θa1 and the brake operation amount θb1 are generated by the shift control unit 74 so as to gradually increase as the operation is made toward each operation position, that is, in response to the operation of touching down on each operation position. In the drive control unit 72, the accelerator opening θa1 is used instead of the accelerator opening θa from the accelerator opening sensor 84, and the brake operation amount θb1 is used instead of the brake operation amount θb from the brake operation amount sensor 86, to control the running of the vehicle 10. Also, a shift display Sif indicating the allocation of the operation position of the shift lever 42 in the disabled mode is output from the shift control unit 74 to the shift display device 46 and displayed (see FIG. 2). This allows the shift lever 42 to select the shift range POSsh and to operate the accelerator and brake.

[0030] In the case of the handicapped person mode, the brake hold may be activated regardless of the operation setting of the H switch 48. In this case, if the vehicle 10 stops with the shift lever 42 in the home position h, the range is automatically switched to the P range. Also, if a brake operation is required to switch the shift range POSsh, such as to release the P range, the H switch 48 may be assigned as the operating position for the brake operation.

[0031] In the able-bodied person mode, the allocation of the operating positions e and d of the shift lever 42 is different from that in the able-bodied person mode. The operation of selecting the S range of the shift range POSsh is assigned to the operating position e. The operating position d is not assigned and is inoperative when operated. Alternatively, a separate lock mechanism may be provided to prohibit operation to the operating positions. In the able-bodied person mode, the accelerator operating position A and the brake operating position B are not set to the shift lever 42, the brake operation is performed by the brake operation amount θb from the brake operation amount sensor 86, and the accelerator operation is performed by the accelerator opening θa from the accelerator opening sensor 84. In addition, a shift display Sif indicating the allocation of the operating positions of the shift lever 42 in the able-bodied person mode is output from the shift control unit 74 to the shift display device 46 and displayed (see FIG. 2). As a result, the shift range POSsh can be selected by the shift lever 42 in the normal operation.

[0032] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a main part of the control operation when the electronic control unit 70, which also serves as the control unit for the shift device 50, sets a disabled person mode and an able-bodied person mode.

[0033] First, in step S10 (hereinafter, step will be omitted) corresponding to the driver authentication unit 76, driver authentication is performed. Next, in S20 corresponding to the driver authentication unit 76, it is determined whether the driver is disabled. If the determination in S20 is negative, the process proceeds to S50. If the determination in S20 is positive, in S30 corresponding to the shift control unit 74, the operating position of the shift lever 42 is assigned to the operating position of the disabled mode, and then in S40 corresponding to the shift control unit 74, the shift display Sif of the disabled mode is displayed on the shift display unit 46, and this routine is terminated. In S50 corresponding to the shift control unit 74, the operating position of the shift lever 42 is assigned to the operating position of the able-bodied mode, and then in S60 corresponding to the shift control unit 74, the shift display Sif of the able-bodied mode is displayed on the shift display unit 46, and this routine is terminated.

[0034] As described above, according to this embodiment, in the disabled person mode, the accelerator operation position A and the brake operation position B are set on the shift lever 42, the shift display Sif set in the disabled person mode is displayed on the shift display device 46, and the accelerator operation is enabled by operating the shift lever 42 toward the accelerator operation position A, and the brake operation is enabled by operating the shift lever 42 toward the brake operation position B, while in the able-bodied person mode, the shift position is set without setting the accelerator operation position A and the brake operation position B on the shift lever 42, the shift display Sif set in the able-bodied person mode is displayed on the shift display device 46, and the accelerator operation and the brake operation by the shift lever are disabled. This makes it possible to provide a shift device 50 for a vehicle that allows a disabled person to drive by operating the shift lever for a disabled person, and allows an able-bodied person to drive by operating the normal shift lever.

[0035] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the present invention can also be applied to other aspects. For example, the vehicle in the above embodiment is a vehicle powered only by the engine 12, but the present invention can also be applied to a hybrid vehicle equipped with the engine 12 and a rotary machine as a power source, or an electric vehicle powered only by a rotary machine.

[0036] It should be noted that the above is merely one embodiment, and the present invention can be embodied in various modified and improved forms based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 10: Vehicle 18: Automatic transmission 42: Shift lever 46: Shift display device (shift display section) 50: Shift device (vehicle shift device) POSsh: Shift range A: Accelerator operation position B: Brake operation position

Claims

[Claim 1] A vehicle shift device that allows a user to select one of a plurality of shift ranges set in an automatic transmission by positioning a shift lever in one of a plurality of shift positions, and allows an accelerator operation and a brake operation to be performed by using the shift lever, It has a first mode for disabled people and a second mode for able-bodied people, In the first mode, an accelerator operation position and a brake operation position are set, and a display of the plurality of shift positions set in the first mode and a display of the accelerator operation position and the brake operation position are displayed on a shift display unit, and the accelerator operation is enabled by operating the shift lever toward the accelerator operation position, and the brake operation is enabled by operating the shift lever toward the brake operation position, In the second mode, the multiple shift positions are set without setting the accelerator operation position and the brake operation position, the multiple shift positions set in the second mode are displayed on the shift display unit, and the accelerator operation and the brake operation using the shift lever are disabled.

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