Steering device

Abstract

Provided is a steering device that can accurately detect the presence of the hands of a driver gripping a rim to improve traffic safety.　A steering device 1 accepts steering operations by a driver and comprises: an annular rim 20; a hub 23 located on the inner side of the rim 20; spokes 25L, 25R which extend radially from the hub 23 and which are connected to a rim inner circumference 21 of the rim 20; electrode devices 55L, 55R provided in the spokes 25L, 25R, respectively; and a steering control device 4 that detects a change in the electrostatic capacitance between the electrode devices 55L, 55R and a ground connection. The electrode device 55L comprises a first electrode 56L having flat parts 561L, 562L, 563L directed toward the rim 20 and the electrode device 55R comprises a first electrode 56R having flat parts 561R, 562R, 563R directed toward the rim inner circumference 21.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a steering device, and more particularly to a steering device that accepts a steering operation by a driver. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, in order to improve traffic safety, vehicles are increasingly being equipped with driving assistance devices that assist the driver in driving the vehicle, such as a lane keeping function, a lane departure prevention function, a lane change function, and a preceding vehicle following function. In vehicles equipped with such driving assistance devices, a sensor device such as that shown in Patent Document 1 detects whether the driver is gripping the steering wheel, and if it is detected that the driver is not gripping the steering wheel, the device may prompt the driver to grip the steering wheel or cancel the driving assistance function being executed.

[0003] The sensor device disclosed in Patent Document 1 detects the contact or proximity of the driver's hands with the steering wheel based on a change in electrostatic capacitance of electrodes provided on the spokes of the steering wheel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 195620 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the sensor device shown in Patent Document 1, a plate-shaped electrode is provided on the spoke with its flat surface facing the driver. Since the electric field lines induced around the electrode pass perpendicularly to the electrode, the sensor device shown in Patent Document 1 may not be able to accurately detect the presence of a hand gripping the annular rim connected to the radially outer side of the spoke.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a steering device that can accurately detect the presence of a driver's hands gripping the rim portion in order to improve traffic safety. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) A steering device according to the present invention is adapted to receive steering operations by a driver and comprises an annular rim portion, a hub portion provided on the inside of the rim portion, spoke portions extending radially from the hub portion and connected to an inner circumference of the rim portion, an electrode device provided on the spoke portions, and a control unit that detects changes in the electrical characteristics of the electrode device, wherein the electrode device comprises a first electrode portion having a flat surface directed toward the rim portion.

[0008] (2) In this case, it is preferable that an accessory operation console that accepts accessory operations by a driver is provided on the spoke portion, and the first electrode portion is provided along a side wall surface of the accessory operation console.

[0009] (3) In this case, it is preferable that the first electrode portion is L-shaped when viewed from the driver, and has a first planar portion provided along a first upper side wall surface of the accessory operation console when viewed from the driver, and a second planar portion provided along the radially outer second side wall surface of the accessory operation console.

[0010] (4) In this case, it is preferable that an edge portion on the driver's side of at least one of the first and second planar portions includes a bent portion that is L-shaped in cross section.

[0011] (5) In this case, it is preferable that the first electrode portion is C-shaped when viewed from the driver's perspective, and includes a first planar portion provided along an upper first side wall surface of the accessory operation console when viewed from the driver's perspective, a second planar portion provided along the radially outer second side wall surface of the accessory operation console, and a third planar portion provided along a lower third side wall surface of the accessory operation console when viewed from the driver's perspective.

[0012] (6) In this case, it is preferable that an edge portion on the driver's side of at least any one of the first, second and third planar portions has a bent portion that is L-shaped in cross section.

[0013] (7) In this case, it is preferable that the electrode device further includes a second electrode portion that is provided on the rear side of the auxiliary equipment operation console and has a flat surface facing the driver. Effect of the Invention

[0014] (1) A steering device includes an annular rim portion, a hub portion provided inside the rim portion, spoke portions extending radially from the hub portion and connected to an inner periphery of the rim portion, an electrode device provided on the spoke portions, and a control unit that detects changes in electrical characteristics of the electrode device. In the steering device according to the present invention, the electrode device includes a first electrode portion having a flat surface facing the rim portion. Therefore, according to the present invention, the first electrode portion facing from the spoke portion to the rim portion can induce electric field lines passing near the rim portion, so that the driver's hands in contact with or close to the rim portion can be accurately detected, thereby improving traffic safety.

[0015] (2) In the present invention, the first electrode unit is provided along the side wall surface of the accessory operation console provided on the spoke portion that faces the rim portion. This makes it possible to efficiently arrange the accessory operation console and the first electrode unit on the spoke portion while accurately detecting the driver's hand in contact with or close to the rim portion, thereby improving traffic safety.

[0016] (3) In the present invention, a first flat portion is provided along a first side wall surface on the upper side as viewed from the driver of the accessory operation console, and a second flat portion is provided along a second side wall surface on the radially outer side of the accessory operation console, and a first electrode portion having an L-shape as viewed from the driver is provided on the spoke portion. Therefore, in the present invention, many electric field lines can be induced in the vicinity of a portion of the annular rim portion in a range of 60° to 90° that the driver's right hand can grasp, or a portion in a range of 270° to 300° that the driver's left hand can grasp, so that the driver's hand in contact with or close to these ranges of the rim portion can be detected with high accuracy, thereby improving traffic safety.

[0017] (4) In the present invention, a bent portion that is L-shaped in cross section is provided on the driver-side edge of at least one of the first and second flat portions. This makes it possible to induce not only electric field lines extending from the spokes to the rim portion, but also electric field lines extending from the spokes to the driver, making it possible to detect the driver's hands in contact with or close to the spokes, thereby improving traffic safety.

[0018] (5) In the present invention, a first flat portion is provided along a first side wall surface of the accessory operation console on the upper side as seen from the driver, a second flat portion is provided along a second side wall surface of the accessory operation console on the radially outer side, and a third flat portion is provided along a third side wall surface of the accessory operation console on the lower side as seen from the driver, and a first electrode portion having a C-shape as seen from the driver is provided on the spoke portion. Therefore, in the present invention, many electric field lines can be induced in the vicinity of a portion of the annular rim portion in a range of 60° to 120° that the driver's right hand can grasp or a portion in a range of 240° to 300° that the driver's left hand can grasp, so that the driver's hand in contact with or close to these ranges of the rim portion can be detected with high accuracy, and thus traffic safety can be improved.

[0019] (6) In the present invention, a bent portion that is L-shaped in cross section is provided on the driver-side edge of at least one of the first to third flat portions. This makes it possible to induce not only electric field lines extending from the spokes to the rim portion, but also electric field lines extending from the spokes to the driver, making it possible to detect the driver's hands in contact with or close to the spokes, thereby improving traffic safety.

[0020] (7) In the present invention, the second electrode portion having a flat surface facing the driver is provided on the rear side of the auxiliary device operation console. This makes it possible to induce many electric field lines in the vicinity of the spoke portion, so that the driver's hands in contact with or close to the spoke portion can be detected, thereby improving traffic safety. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a steering device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the left accessory operation console unit. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic view of the range of electric field lines induced around the electrode devices provided on each spoke portion by applying a predetermined voltage to the electrode devices. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a steering device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] First Embodiment Hereinafter, a steering device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a steering device 1 according to this embodiment. The steering device 1 includes a steering wheel 2 that accepts steering operations of a vehicle by a driver and auxiliary device operations for a vehicle, a steering shaft 3 that supports the steering wheel 2, and a steering control device 4.

[0024] The steering wheel 2 comprises a circular rim portion 20 which can be gripped by the driver, a hub portion 23 provided on the inside of the rim portion 20, and three spoke portions 25L, 25R, 25D which extend radially from the hub portion 23 and are connected to the rim inner portion 21 of the rim portion 20.

[0025] The hub portion 23 is disk-shaped and is provided, for example, at the center of the rim portion 20 as seen by the driver, constituting the center of the steering wheel 2. A shaft-shaped steering shaft 3 is connected to the rear side of the hub portion 23 as seen by the driver, which supports the steering wheel 2 and transmits the steering torque generated when the driver rotates the steering wheel 2 to a steering mechanism (not shown). The steering shaft 3 is also provided with a torque sensor 31 that detects the steering torque acting on the steering shaft 3 and outputs a signal according to the detected value to a steering control device 4.

[0026] The rim portion 20 and the hub portion 23 are connected by three spoke portions 25L, 25R, and 25D. The left spoke portion 25L extends horizontally and connects the left portion of the hub portion 23 as seen by the driver to the left portion of the rim inner circumferential portion 21 as seen by the driver. The right spoke portion 25R extends horizontally and parallel to the left spoke portion 25L and connects the right portion of the hub portion 23 as seen by the driver to the right portion of the rim inner circumferential portion 21 as seen by the driver. The lower spoke portion 25D extends perpendicularly to the spoke portions 25L and 25R and vertically and connects the lower portion of the hub portion 23 as seen by the driver to the lower portion of the rim inner circumferential portion 21 as seen by the driver.

[0027] In the following description, the positions of the rim portion 20, the rim inner periphery 21, the hub portion 23, and the steering shaft 3, which are substantially circular as viewed from the driver, and the orientations of the spoke portions 25L, 25R, and 25D may be expressed as angles [°] in a clockwise direction with the steering shaft 3 as the center and the upper end portion 20C of the rim portion 20 as viewed from the driver as the reference point. That is, the right spoke portion 25R extends along a 90° direction and connects the 90° portions of the hub portion 23 and the rim inner periphery 21. The lower spoke portion 25D extends along a 180° direction and connects the 180° portions of the hub portion 23 and the rim inner periphery 21. The left spoke portion 25L extends along a 270° direction and connects the 270° portions of the hub portion 23 and the rim inner periphery 21.

[0028] The left spoke portion 25L and the right spoke portion 25R are provided with a left accessory operation console unit 5L and a right accessory operation console unit 5R, respectively, which accepts accessory operation by the driver to operate vehicle accessories (e.g., an audio device, a car navigation device, etc.) not shown. These accessory operation console units 5L and 5R are, for example, rectangular when viewed from the driver. The driver can operate the vehicle accessories by operating a plurality of switches 51L, 52L, 53L, 51R, 52R, and 53R provided on these accessory operation console units 5L and 5R with his / her fingers.

[0029] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the left accessory operation console unit 5L. The left accessory operation console unit 5L includes a plurality of lid-shaped switches 51L, 52L, 53L for receiving accessory operations by the driver, a plate-shaped electrode device 55L, and a console body 50L that supports the switches 51L, 52L, 53L and the electrode device 55L.

[0030] The console body 50L is columnar and rectangular when viewed from the driver. The switches 51L, 52L, 53L are each lid-shaped and attached to an upper surface 501L of the console body 50L on the driver's side.

[0031] The electrode device 55L includes a first electrode portion 56L provided along the side wall surfaces 502L, 503L, 504L of the console body 50L, and a second electrode portion 57L provided along the back surface 505L of the console body 50L as seen by the driver.

[0032] The first electrode portion 56L is formed by bending a conductive plate material along the side wall surfaces 502L, 503L, and 504L of the console body 50L, and is C-shaped as viewed from the driver. More specifically, the first electrode portion 56L includes a first flat surface portion 561L provided along the first side wall surface 502L on the upper side of the console body 50L as viewed from the driver, a second flat surface portion 562L provided along the second side wall surface 503L on the left side of the console body 50L as viewed from the driver (i.e., the radial outer side of the rim portion 20), and a third flat surface portion 563L provided along the third side wall surface 504L on the lower side of the console body 50L as viewed from the driver.

[0033] The first electrode portion 56L is provided on the left spoke portion 25L in a state where it is attached to the console main body 50L such that the first flat portion 561L faces the first side wall surface 502L, the second flat portion 562L faces the second side wall surface 503L, and the third flat portion 563L faces the third side wall surface 504L. As a result, as shown in Fig. 1, the first electrode portion 56L is provided on the left spoke portion 25L with the first flat portion 561L facing the approximately 300° portion of the rim inner periphery 21, the second flat portion 562L facing the approximately 270° portion of the rim inner periphery 21, and the third flat portion 563L facing the approximately 240° portion of the rim inner periphery 21.

[0034] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first flat portion 561L of the first electrode portion 56L taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. As shown in these FIGS. 2 and 3, L-shaped bent portions 564L, 565L, and 566L are formed on the driver's side edges of the flat portions 561L, 562L, and 563L of the first electrode portion 56L. As a result, a first edge surface 567L, a second edge surface 568L, and a third edge surface 569L facing the driver are formed on the driver's side edges of the flat portions 561L, 562L, and 563L of the first electrode portion 56L. Note that FIG. 2 shows a case in which the bent portions 564L, 565L, and 566L are formed on all the flat portions 561L, 562L, and 563L of the first electrode portion 56L, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, only one or two of the three flat portions 561L, 562L, and 563L may be bent to have an L-shape in cross section.

[0035] 2, the second electrode portion 57L is made of the same conductive plate material as the first electrode portion 56L, and is provided on the rear surface 505L side of the console main body 50L as seen by the driver. Therefore, when the second electrode portion 57L is provided on the left spoke 25L together with the console main body 50L, the surface 571L of the second electrode portion 57L is oriented perpendicular to the first electrode portion 56L, that is, facing the driver.

[0036] The detailed configuration of the left accessory operation console unit 5L has been described above with reference to Figures 2 and 3. The detailed configuration of the right accessory operation console unit 5R is almost the same as that of the left accessory operation console unit 5L except for its arrangement position and orientation, so the following mainly describes the differences from the left accessory operation console unit 5L, and illustrations and detailed descriptions of the same points as the left accessory operation console unit 5L are omitted as appropriate.

[0037] The right accessory operation console unit 5R is configured by combining a plurality of switches 51R, 52R, 53R for receiving accessory operations by the driver, a plate-shaped electrode device 55R, and a console body (not shown) that supports the switches 51R, 52R, 53R and the electrode device 55R. The console body of the right accessory operation console unit 5R is columnar and rectangular as seen from the driver, similar to the console body 50L of the left accessory operation console unit 5L. The electrode device 55R of the right accessory operation console unit 5R includes a first electrode portion 56R provided along the side wall surface of the console body, and a second electrode portion (not shown) provided along the back surface of the console body as seen from the driver.

[0038] The first electrode portion 56R includes a first flat surface portion 561R, a second flat surface portion 562R, and a third flat surface portion 563R, similar to the first electrode portion 56L of the left accessory operation console unit 5L. The first electrode portion 561R is provided on the right spoke portion 25R with the first flat surface portion 561R facing the approximately 60° portion of the rim inner circumferential portion 21, the second flat surface portion 562R facing the approximately 90° portion of the rim inner circumferential portion 21, and the third flat surface portion 563R facing the approximately 120° portion of the rim inner circumferential portion 21.

[0039] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the ranges RL, RR of electric field lines induced around the electrode devices 55L, 55R provided on each spoke portion 25L, 25R by applying a predetermined voltage to the electrode devices 55L, 55R.

[0040] As described above, each of the electrode devices 55L, 55R includes a first electrode portion 56L, 56R having flat portions 561L, 562L, 563L, 561R, 562R, 563R facing the rim inner circumference 21, and a second electrode portion having a flat surface facing the driver. Therefore, a range RL of electric lines of force induced around the electrode device 55L by applying a voltage to the electrode device 55L includes a portion of the rim portion 20 between 240° and 300°. Moreover, a range RR of electric lines of force induced around the electrode device 55R by applying a voltage to the electrode device 55R includes a portion of the rim portion 20 between 60° and 120°. Therefore, for example, when the driver's hands are present within the ranges RL and RR in which these electric field lines are induced by gripping the rim portion 20 with one or both hands, the electrical characteristics of these electrode devices 55L, 55R, more specifically, the electrostatic capacitance formed between these electrode devices 55L, 55R and ground, changes.

[0041] Returning to Fig. 1, the steering control device 4 detects a change in capacitance between the electrode devices 55L, 55R and the ground, and determines whether or not the driver is gripping the steering wheel 2 based on the change in capacitance of these electrode devices 55L, 55R and the steering torque detected by the torque sensor 31. More specifically, the steering control device 4 determines that the driver is gripping the steering wheel 2 when the steering torque detected by the torque sensor 31 is equal to or greater than a predetermined torque threshold set near 0, or when the change in capacitance of either of the electrode devices 55L, 55R from a predetermined reference value is equal to or greater than a predetermined capacitance threshold, and determines that the driver is not gripping the steering wheel 2 when the steering torque is less than the torque threshold and the change in capacitance of both the electrode devices 55L, 55R is less than the capacitance threshold.

[0042] Here, for example, when driving at high speed, since there is almost no need to perform steering operation, the driver often grips the steering wheel 2 with both hands placed on the 90° and 270° parts of the rim portion 20. However, in this case, even if the driver grips the steering wheel 2, the steering torque may be less than the torque threshold value. Therefore, the detection signal of the torque sensor 31 alone cannot appropriately determine whether the driver is gripping the steering wheel 2. In contrast, in this embodiment, the steering control device 4 determines whether the driver is gripping the steering wheel 2 based on the detection signal of the torque sensor 31 and the change in the capacitance of the two electrode devices 55L and 55R as described above, so that it can accurately determine whether the driver is gripping the steering wheel 2 even in a situation where it is difficult to detect with the torque sensor 31.

[0043] The steering device 1 according to this embodiment provides the following advantages. (1) The steering device 1 includes an annular rim portion 20, a hub portion 23 provided inside the rim portion 20, spoke portions 25L, 25R extending radially from the hub portion 23 and connected to a rim inner peripheral portion 21 of the rim portion 20, electrode devices 55L, 55R provided on the spoke portions 25L, 25R, and a steering control device 4 that detects changes in the electrostatic capacitance (i.e., electrical characteristics) of the electrode devices 55L, 55R. In addition, in the steering device 1 according to this embodiment, the electrode devices 55L, 55R include first electrode portions 56L, 56R having flat portions 561L, 562L, 563L, 561R, 562R, 563R facing from the spoke portions 25L, 25R toward the rim inner peripheral portion 21 of the rim portion 20. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the first electrode portions 56L, 56R directed toward the rim inner circumference 21 can induce electric field lines passing near the rim portion 20, making it possible to accurately detect the driver's hands in contact with or close to the rim portion 20, thereby improving traffic safety.

[0044] (2) In the steering device 1, the first electrode portions 56L, 56R are provided along the side wall surface facing the rim inner periphery 21 of the rim portion 20 in the console body of the accessory operation console units 5L, 5R provided on the spoke portions 25L, 25R. This makes it possible to efficiently arrange the accessory operation console units 5L, 5R including the first electrode portions 56L, 56R on the spoke portions 25L, 25R while accurately detecting the driver's hands in contact with or close to the rim portion 20, thereby improving traffic safety.

[0045] (3) In this embodiment, the second electrode portion having a flat surface facing the driver is provided on the rear side of each console body of the accessory operation console units 5L, 5R. This makes it possible to induce many electric field lines in the vicinity of the spoke portions 25L, 25R, so that the driver's hands in contact with or close to the spoke portions 25L, 25R can also be detected, thereby improving traffic safety.

[0046] (4) The console body of the auxiliary operation console unit 5L, 5R includes a first flat surface 561L, 561R provided along a first side wall surface on the upper side as viewed from the driver, a second flat surface 562L, 562R provided along a second side wall surface on the radially outer side of the console body, and a third flat surface 563L, 563R provided along a third side wall surface on the lower side as viewed from the driver, and the first electrode portions 56L, 56R having a C-shape as viewed from the driver are provided on the spoke portions 25L, 25R. Thus, in this embodiment, many electric field lines can be induced in the vicinity of the portion of the annular rim portion 20 in the range of 60° to 120° that the driver's right hand can grasp or the portion in the range of 240° to 300° that the driver's left hand can grasp, so that the driver's hands in contact with or close to these ranges of the rim portion 20 can be detected with high accuracy, thereby improving traffic safety.

[0047] (5) In this embodiment, a bent portion that is L-shaped in cross section is provided on the driver-side edge of at least any of the first to third flat portions 561L-563L, 561R-563R of the first electrode portions 56L, 56R. This makes it possible to induce not only electric field lines extending from the spoke portions 25L, 25R to the rim inner circumferential portion 21 of the rim portion 20, but also electric field lines extending from the spoke portions 25L, 25R to the driver side, making it possible to detect the driver's hands in contact with or close to the spoke portions 25L, 25R, thereby improving traffic safety.

[0048] <Second embodiment> Next, a steering device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components as those in the steering device according to the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0049] 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a steering device 1A according to this embodiment. The steering device 1A differs from the steering device 1 according to the first embodiment in the configuration of the electrode devices 55LA, 55RA of the accessory operation console units 5LA, 5RA provided on each spoke portion 25L, 25R. More specifically, the steering device 1A differs from the steering device 1 according to the first embodiment in the configuration of the first electrode units 56LA, 56RA provided along the side wall surfaces of the console main bodies of the accessory operation console units 5LA, 5RA.

[0050] 5, the first electrode portions 56LA, 56RA provided on each of the spoke portions 25L, 25R are L-shaped as viewed from the driver. That is, each of the first electrode portions 56LA, 56RA includes a first flat portion 561LA, 561RA provided along a first side wall surface on the upper side as viewed from the driver of the console main body provided on each of the spoke portions 25L, 25R, and a second flat portion 562LA, 562RA provided along a second side wall surface on the radially outer side of the console main body.

[0051] 5, the first electrode portion 56LA is provided on the left spoke portion 25L with the first planar portion 561LA facing approximately to the 300° portion of the rim inner periphery 21 and the second planar portion 562LA facing approximately to the 270° portion of the rim inner periphery 21. The first electrode portion 56RA is provided on the right spoke portion 25R with the first planar portion 561RA facing approximately to the 60° portion of the rim inner periphery 21 and the second planar portion 562RA facing approximately to the 90° portion of the rim inner periphery 21.

[0052] Although not shown, it is preferable that the driver-side edge of at least one of the first flat surface portion 561LA and the second flat surface portion 562LA of the first electrode portion 56LA has an L-shaped bent portion in cross section, as in the first embodiment. It is also preferable that the driver-side edge of at least one of the first flat surface portion 561RA and the second flat surface portion 562RA of the first electrode portion 56RA has an L-shaped bent portion in cross section, as in the first embodiment.

[0053] In addition to the above advantages (1) to (3), the steering device 1A according to this embodiment has the following advantages. (6) In this embodiment, the console body of each of the auxiliary operation console units 5LA, 5RA includes a first flat portion 561LA, 561RA provided along a first side wall surface on the upper side as viewed from the driver, and a second flat portion 562LA, 562RA provided along a second side wall surface on the radially outer side of each of the console bodies, and the first electrode portions 56LA, 56RA that are L-shaped as viewed from the driver are provided on the spoke portions 25L, 25R. Therefore, in this embodiment, many electric field lines can be induced in the vicinity of the portion of the annular rim portion 20 in the range of 60° to 90° that the driver's right hand can grasp or the portion of the range of 270° to 300° that the driver's left hand can grasp, so that the driver's hands in contact with or close to these ranges of the rim portion 20 can be detected with high accuracy, and thus traffic safety can be improved.

[0054] (7) In this embodiment, an L-shaped bent portion is provided in the driver's side edge of at least one of the first and second flat portions 561LA, 562LA of the first electrode portion 56LA and at least one of the first and second flat portions 561RA, 562RA of the first electrode portion 56RA. This makes it possible to induce not only electric field lines extending from the spoke portions 25L, 25R to the rim inner circumferential portion 21 side but also electric field lines extending from the spoke portions 25L, 25R to the driver's side, so that the driver's hands in contact with or close to the spoke portions 25L, 25R can be detected, thereby improving traffic safety.

[0055] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The detailed configuration may be appropriately changed within the scope of the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1,1A…Steering device 2. Steering handle 20…Rim section 21…Inner rim part (inner part) 23…Hub section 25L…Left spoke part (spoke part) 25R…Right spoke section (spoke section) 5L, 5LA...Left auxiliary operation console unit 50L…Console body 501L…Top surface 502L…First side wall surface (side wall surface) 503L…Second side wall surface (side wall surface) 504L…Third side wall surface (side wall surface) 505L…Back 51L, 52L, 53L...Switch 55L,55LA…electrode device 56L, 56LA...1st electrode part (1st electrode part) 561L, 561LA…1st plane part 564L…First bending section (bending section) 562L, 562LA…Second plane part 565L…Second bending section (bending section) 563L…Third plane part 566L…Third bending section (bending section) 57L…Second electrode part 571L…Surface (plane) 5R, 5RA…Right auxiliary operation console unit 51R, 52R, 53R...Switch 55R, 55RA...Electrode device 56R,56RA…1st electrode part 561R, 561RA…1st plane part 562R,562RA…Second plane part 563R…Third plane part 3...Steering shaft 31...Torque sensor 4...Steering control device (control unit)

Claims

1. A steering device that accepts steering operations by a driver, An annular rim portion; a hub portion provided inside the rim portion; spoke portions extending radially from the hub portion and connected to an inner circumferential portion of the rim portion; an electrode device provided on the spoke portion; a control unit that detects a change in an electrical characteristic of the electrode device; A steering device, wherein the electrode device includes a first electrode portion having a flat surface facing the rim portion.

2. The spoke portion is provided with an auxiliary device operation console that accepts auxiliary device operations by a driver, The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode portion is provided along a side wall surface of the auxiliary device operation console.

3. The steering device described in claim 2, characterized in that the first electrode portion is L-shaped when viewed from the driver's side, and comprises a first planar portion provided along a first upper side wall surface of the accessory operation console when viewed from the driver's side, and a second planar portion provided along a second radially outer side wall surface of the accessory operation console.

4. 4. The steering device according to claim 3, wherein an edge portion of at least one of the first and second flat portions on a driver's side is provided with a bent portion that is L-shaped in cross section.

5. The steering device described in claim 2, characterized in that the first electrode portion is C-shaped when viewed from the driver's side, and comprises a first planar portion provided along a first upper side wall surface of the accessory operation console when viewed from the driver's side, a second planar portion provided along a second radially outer side wall surface of the accessory operation console, and a third planar portion provided along a third lower side wall surface of the accessory operation console when viewed from the driver's side.

6. 6. The steering device according to claim 5, wherein an edge portion on a driver's side of at least any one of the first, second and third flat portions includes a bent portion that is L-shaped in cross section.

7. 7. The steering apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a second electrode portion provided on a rear side of the auxiliary operation console and having a flat surface facing a driver.

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