Vehicle Locking Device

Abstract

To provide a lock device for a vehicle capable of surely holding an unlocked state of a knob switch and surely preventing vibration of a locking claw, without causing increase in size of an electric actuator, high cost, increase in weight, deterioration in mountability on a vehicle body and the like.SOLUTION: A lock device 1 for a vehicle is a device for locking / unlocking the rotation of a knob switch 2 which permits / prohibits engine start and locks / unlocks a steering wheel 101 by a rotation operation, and is constituted by including: a locking claw 15 engaged / disengaged with respect to an engagement groove 4a of a knob shaft 4; an electromagnetic solenoid 10; and a link mechanism 12 for converting a reciprocating linear motion of a plunger 11 of the electromagnetic solenoid 10 into the rotation motion of the locking claw 15. Holding means (a spring 16, a click ball 17, and a spring 18 for energizing this) are provided for holding the locking claw 15 in a separated state, in a state where the locking claw 15 is separated from the engagement groove 4a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle locking device for locking / unlocking the rotation of a knob switch which, when turned, at least permits / prohibits engine start and locks / unlocks a steering wheel. [Background technology]

[0002] Four-wheeled vehicles are equipped with a smart entry system in which the doors unlock when a passenger (driver) carrying a smart key approaches the vehicle, the engine starts when the passenger enters the vehicle and presses the engine start button, and the doors lock when the vehicle is stopped and the passenger leaves the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Incidentally, keyless engine starting systems have also been adopted for motorcycles, which do away with the need to start the engine with a key. Instead, when a rider carrying a smart key approaches the vehicle, a knob switch lock is released. When this knob switch is turned from the "LOCK" position to the "ON" position, the handlebar lock is released and the engine can be started. From this state, the rider can press the ignition switch to start the engine (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0004] The keyless engine starting system is provided with a locking device that locks / unlocks the rotation of a knob switch, which at least permits / prohibits engine start and locks / unlocks the handle when turned. This locking device is comprised of a locking claw that engages / disengages with an engagement groove formed in a knob shaft that rotates integrally with the knob switch, an electromagnetic solenoid that is an electric actuator, and a link mechanism that converts the reciprocating linear motion of the plunger of the electromagnetic solenoid into the rotational motion of the locking claw, and operates as follows.

[0005] In other words, when a passenger carrying a smart key approaches a vehicle, ID information is authenticated through communication between the smart key and a control unit installed in the vehicle. If the authentication result indicates that the ID information is legitimate, electricity is applied to the electromagnetic actuator, and the linear motion of the plunger of the electromagnetic actuator is converted into a rotational motion of the locking claw by the link mechanism, so that the locking claw that was engaged with the engagement groove in the "LOCK" position rotates and engages. If The locking claw is released from the groove and the locking claw is released from the groove. If The engagement with the groove is released. As a result, the knob switch is permitted to rotate, and the knob switch can be rotated from the "LOCK" position to the "ON" position. When the knob switch rotates to the "ON" position in this manner, the handlebar is unlocked and the engine is prepared to start. When the occupant presses the ignition switch in this state, the engine starts. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-317754 [Patent Document 2] JP 2005-112048 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the conventional vehicle locking device, when the ID information is authenticated and it is confirmed that the ID information is authentic, the electromagnetic solenoid is energized to retract the plunger, and the locking claw is released from the engagement groove to unlock the knob switch by the locking device. Therefore, while the vehicle is running, the electromagnetic solenoid continues to be energized and the locking claw is held in a state where it is disengaged from the engagement groove.

[0008] Normally, the force with which the plunger is pulled by energizing the electromagnetic solenoid is small, and the locking claw vibrates as the vehicle moves, so in order to stably hold the locking claw in a state in which it is disengaged from the engagement groove (unlocked state), it is necessary to increase the amount of electricity supplied to the electromagnetic solenoid. This requires the electromagnetic solenoid to be made larger, which causes problems such as increased costs, increased weight, and poorer installation on the vehicle body.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its object is to provide a vehicle locking device that can reliably maintain the unlocked state of a knob switch and reliably prevent vibration of the locking claw, without incurring increases in size, cost, weight, or difficulty in mounting the electric actuator to the vehicle body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a device for locking / unlocking the rotation of a knob switch which at least permits / prohibits engine start and locks / unlocks a steering wheel by a rotation operation, the device comprising: Rotates together with the knob switch In a vehicle lock device including a locking pawl that engages with and disengages from an engagement groove formed in a knob shaft, an electric actuator, and a link mechanism that converts the reciprocating linear motion of the electric actuator into a rotational motion of the locking pawl, a holding means is provided for holding the locking pawl in a disengaged state when the locking pawl is disengaged from the engagement groove by energizing the electric actuator. The electric actuator is constituted by an electromagnetic solenoid that causes the plunger to be pulled in by energization, thereby disengaging the locking claw from the engagement groove, and the holding means is constituted by a spring that biases the plunger in the pulling direction. This is the first characteristic.

[0012] Claim 2The invention described in is a device for locking / unlocking the rotation of a knob switch which at least permits / prohibits engine start and locks / unlocks the steering wheel by a rotation operation, and the vehicle locking device includes a locking claw which engages with and disengages from an engagement groove formed on a knob shaft which rotates integrally with the knob switch, an electric actuator, and a link mechanism which converts the reciprocating linear motion of the electric actuator into a rotational motion of the locking claw. A retaining means is provided for retaining the locking pawl in a disengaged state when the pawl is disengaged from the engagement groove, and the retaining means is comprised of a click ball fitted to the knob shaft so as to be movable in the radial direction and which moves in and out of the engagement groove, and a spring which biases the click ball radially outward. 2 The characteristics of this system are as follows.

[0013] Claim 3 The invention described in 1 Or 2 In addition to the above features, the vehicle locking device is a device provided in a keyless engine starting system, and when ID information is authenticated by communication between a smart key carried by a passenger and a vehicle-side control unit, the vehicle-side control unit energizes the electric actuator to release the locking mechanism and allow the knob switch to rotate. 3 The characteristics of this system are as follows.

[0014] Claim 4 The invention described in 3 In addition to the above features, when the ID information is authenticated by the vehicle-side control unit, the knob switch can be rotated to the "ON" position, "OFF" position, and "LOCK" position, and when the knob switch in the "LOCK" position is rotated to the "ON" position, the hand lock is released and the engine is prepared to start, when the knob switch in the "ON" position is rotated to the "OFF" position, the engine is stopped, and when the knob switch in the "OFF" position is rotated to the "LOCK" position, the handle is locked. 4 The characteristics of this system are as follows. Effect of the Invention

[0015] Claim 1 ,2 According to the invention described in the above, since the state in which the locking pawl is released from the engagement groove of the knob shaft and the lock is released (unlocked state) by energizing the electric actuator is maintained by the retaining means, the locking pawl can be reliably maintained in the unlocked state without increasing the current supplied to the electric actuator. As a result, the unlocked state of the knob switch can be reliably maintained and its vibration can be reliably prevented without incurring an increase in the size, cost, and weight of the electric actuator, or a deterioration in the ease of mounting it to the vehicle body.

[0016] Moreover, Claim 1 According to the invention described in the above, the plunger of the electromagnetic solenoid is biased in the retracting direction by the spring constituting the holding means, so that the locking claw is maintained in the disengaged state (the unlocked state of the knob switch) and vibration of the locking claw is reliably prevented.

[0017] moreover Claim 2 According to the invention described in the above, the state in which the locking pawl has disengaged from the engagement groove of the knob shaft and is released (unlocked state) is maintained by the holding means, so that the locking pawl can be reliably held in the unlocked state without increasing the current supplied to the electric actuator. In addition, the click ball biased by the spring abuts against the locking pawl that has disengaged from the engagement groove of the knob shaft and presses the locking pawl in the disengaging direction, so that the disengaged state of the locking pawl (unlocked state of the knob switch) is maintained and vibration of the locking pawl is reliably prevented.

[0018] Claim 3According to the invention described in the above, in the keyless engine start system, when ID information is authenticated by communication between the smart key carried by the occupant and the vehicle-side control unit, the vehicle-side control unit energizes the electric actuator to unlock the locking mechanism, thereby allowing the knob switch to rotate. This allows the occupant to unlock the handlebars by simply rotating the knob switch without having to operate the key, and start the engine.

[0019] Claim 4 According to the invention described in the above, in a keyless engine start system, when the vehicle side control unit authenticates ID information and the knob switch can be rotated to the "ON", "OFF" and "LOCK" positions, if the occupant rotates the knob switch from the "LOCK" position to the "ON" position, the steering wheel is unlocked and the engine is prepared to start, so that the occupant can start the engine without operating the key. Also, if the occupant rotates the knob switch from the "ON" position to the "OFF" position, the engine is stopped, and if the occupant rotates the knob switch from the "OFF" position to the "LOCK" position, the steering wheel is locked, so that the theft of the vehicle when parked is reliably prevented. This can be achieved easily and accurately by simply following the steps. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a scooter-type motorcycle equipped with a vehicle locking device according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a cutaway side cross-sectional view of a vehicle locking device according to the present invention (with a knob switch in the "LOCK" position). [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 1 is a cutaway side cross-sectional view of a vehicle locking device according to the present invention (with a knob switch in the "ON" position). [Diagram 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a front view of a knob switch portion of the scooter type motorcycle shown in FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a keyless engine start system; [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a smart key. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the keyless engine starting system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a scooter-type motorcycle equipped with a vehicle locking device according to the present invention, and in the following description, the directions of arrows shown in FIG. 1 are defined as the "front-rear", "up-down" and "left-right" directions, respectively.

[0023] A steering handle (hereinafter simply referred to as "handle") 101 rotatably supported on a body frame (not shown) is disposed at the front of a scooter-type motorcycle 100 shown in Fig. 1. The periphery of this handle 101 is covered by a panel 103 on which instruments 102 such as a speedometer are disposed, and the panel 103 is connected to a floor section (footrest section) 105 via a vertical panel 104. The front of the panel 103 is covered by a front cowl 106, on which headlights and flashers (not shown) are provided.

[0024] Incidentally, a vehicle locking device (hereinafter simply referred to as "locking device") 1 according to the present invention is housed in the space covered by the panel 103 and the front cowl 106. This locking device 1 locks / unlocks the rotation of a knob switch 2 exposed on the vertical panel 104, and the details of its configuration will be described later. A seat unlocking switch 107 is disposed next to the knob switch 2 on the vertical panel 104.

[0025] A seat 109 is disposed on top of a rear cowl 108 that covers the rear of the scooter-type motorcycle 100 shown in Fig. 1, and this seat 109 also functions as a lid that covers a storage box (not shown) for a helmet or the like formed inside the rear cowl 108, a fuel tank, etc. And, this seat 109 can be opened and closed in order to function as a lid, and this seat 109 is provided with a seat lock device 110 for locking / unlocking the opening and closing of the seat 109.

[0026] Here, the configuration of the locking device 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a cutaway side cross-sectional view of the vehicle locking device of the present invention (when the knob switch is in the "LOCK" position), FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a cutaway side cross-sectional view of the vehicle locking device of the present invention (when the knob switch is in the "ON" position), FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a front view of the knob switch portion of the scooter-type motorcycle shown in FIG. 1.

[0028] As described above, the locking device 1 according to the present invention is for locking / unlocking the rotation of the knob switch 2, and as shown in Fig. 2, the knob switch 2 is rotatably fitted and held in a flange 3 for mounting the locking device 1 to a vertical panel 104 of a scooter-type motorcycle 100 shown in Fig. 1. A knob shaft 4 extends horizontally from the knob switch 2 toward the front of the vehicle (to the right in Fig. 2), and this knob shaft 4 is connected to the knob switch 2 so as to be rotatable together with the knob switch 2, and is rotatably inserted into a cylindrical housing 5 extending from the flange 3 toward the front of the vehicle.

[0029] When the knob switch 2 is unlocked, it can be rotated among the "ON" position, "OFF" position, and "LOCK" position shown in Fig. 6, and can be set to any of these "ON" position, "OFF" position, and "LOCK" position. As shown in Fig. 6, an ignition switch 6 for starting an engine (not shown) is disposed below the knob switch 2.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, a crank portion 8 having a connecting shaft 7 that is eccentric with respect to the knob shaft 4 is provided at the front end portion (the right end portion in FIG. 2), and the connecting shaft 7 is connected to a lock bar 9 of a handlebar lock mechanism 20 (see FIG. 7) described below for locking / unlocking a handlebar 101 of the scooter-type motorcycle 100 shown in FIG. 1.

[0031] The configuration of the handlebar lock mechanism 20 is publicly known (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-301239), so a description thereof will be omitted; however, when the knob switch 2 is rotated to the "LOCK" position shown in FIG. 6, the knob shaft 4 and connecting shaft 7 rotate together with the knob switch 2, and the radial displacement of the connecting shaft 7 causes the lock bar 9 to engage with an engagement hole formed in a steering shaft (not shown) of the handlebar 101 (see FIG. 1), thereby locking the rotation of the handlebar 101.

[0032] Thus, as shown in Fig. 2, the locking device 1 according to the present invention is provided with an electromagnetic solenoid 10, which is a type of electric actuator, as a drive source above the housing 5, and this electromagnetic solenoid 10 is provided with a plunger 11 that performs linear reciprocating motion back and forth. The electromagnetic solenoid 10 has a built-in spring (not shown) that urges the plunger 11 in the extrusion direction (leftward in Fig. 2), and when not energized, as shown in Fig. 2, the plunger 11 protrudes rearward (leftward in Fig. 2), and when energized, as shown in Fig. 4, the plunger 11 advances against the urging force of the spring (not shown) due to electromagnetic force and is pulled in the direction of the arrow shown (rightward in Fig. 4).

[0033] 2 to 5, a slit-shaped through hole 5a that is long in the axial direction (front-to-back direction) is formed in the top part of the housing 5, and as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a slit-shaped engagement groove 4a that is long in the axial direction (front-to-back direction) is formed in a part of the outer circumference of the knob shaft 4 (the part that is located at the top when the knob switch 2 is in the "LOCK" position, and at a position that coincides with the through hole 5a of the housing 5).

[0034] On the other hand, a link mechanism 12 is connected to the tip of the plunger 11 of the electromagnetic solenoid 10, and the left and right lower ends of links 13 of this link mechanism 12 are connected to a horizontal support shaft 14 in the left-right direction, as shown in Figures 3 and 5. Here, the support shaft 14 is rotatably supported by left and right brackets 10a of the electromagnetic actuator 10, and the base end of a locking claw 15 is connected to the left-right intermediate portion of the support shaft 14, as shown in Figures 3 and 5.

[0035] The locking claw 15 is a plate-shaped member, the tip of which penetrates a through-hole 5a formed in the housing 5 and is capable of being engaged with and disengaged from the engagement groove 4a of the knob shaft 4.

[0036] 2 to 5, a rectangular groove 13a that is open at the top is formed in the center in the left-right direction of the upper part of the link 13, and the plunger 11 of the electromagnetic solenoid 10 is inserted into this rectangular groove 13a. The link 13 selectively engages with either the large diameter portion 11a or the disk-shaped tip portion 11b of the plunger 11 as the plunger 11 advances and retreats in the front-rear direction (see FIGS. 3 and 5).

[0037] 3 and 5, cylindrical bosses 13b are formed on the left and right lower ends of the link 13, respectively, and each boss 13b is connected to a support shaft 14 that is inserted therethrough. Therefore, the link 14 and the locking claw 15 can rotate together with the support shaft 14 around the support shaft 14. In other words, the reciprocating linear motion of the plunger 11 of the electromagnetic solenoid 10 in the forward and backward directions is converted into a rotational motion of the locking claw 15 by the link mechanism 12 equipped with the link 13.

[0038] By the way, when the knob switch is in the "LOCK" position shown in Figure 6, 3 As shown in FIG. 6, the engagement groove 4a formed in the knob shaft 4 is located at the top (directly above) and matches with the through hole 5a of the housing 5. At this time, since the electromagnetic solenoid 10 is not energized, the plunger 11 of the electromagnetic solenoid 10 is pulled out as shown in FIG. 2 by the biasing force of a spring (not shown). In this state, the link 13 and the locking claw 15 rotate in the illustrated arrow direction (counterclockwise direction) around the support shaft 14 as shown in FIG. 2, so that the locking claw 15 passes through the through hole 5a of the housing 5 and engages with the engagement groove 4a of the knob shaft 4. Therefore, when the knob switch 2 is in the "LOCK" position shown in FIG. 6, the rotation of the knob shaft 4 and the knob switch 2 is locked and the rotation of the knob switch 2 is prohibited. In this state, starting of the engine is prohibited, and the handle lock device 20 (see FIG. 7) is in a locked state, and the rotation operation of the handle 101 (see FIG. 1) is prohibited.

[0039] When the electromagnetic solenoid 10 is energized from the above state, the plunger 11 of the electromagnetic solenoid 10 retreats against the biasing force of a spring (not shown) and is pulled in as shown in FIG. 4, the retreating movement of the plunger 11 is converted by the link mechanism 12 into the rotational movement of the locking claw 15, and the locking claw 15 rotates around the support shaft 14 in the direction of the arrow (clockwise) in the drawing to disengage from the engagement groove 4a of the knob shaft 4 and to lock. Stop The engagement between the claw 15 and the engagement groove 4a is released. As a result, the locking of the knob switch 2 by the locking device 1 against rotation is released (unlocked), and the knob switch 2 becomes capable of rotation.

[0040] When the knob switch 2 is turned from the "LOCK" position to the "ON" position shown in Fig. 6 in the above state, the engine is permitted to start as described below, and the handlebar lock device 20 (see Fig. 7) releases (unlocks) the lock on the handlebar 101 (see Fig. 1), allowing the handlebar 101 to be rotated. When the occupant presses the ignition switch 6 shown in Fig. 6 in this state, the engine (not shown) starts.

[0041] When the crew turns the knob switch 2 in the "ON" position shown in FIG. 6 to the "OFF" position, the engine stops. After that, when the crew turns the knob switch 2 from the "OFF" position to the "LOCK" position, the engaging groove 4a formed on the knob shaft 4 is positioned at the uppermost position (directly above) as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and aligns with the through hole 5a of the housing 5, and the energization to the electromagnetic solenoid 10 is cut off. Then, since the plunger 11 of the electromagnetic solenoid 10 protrudes rearward by the biasing force of a spring (not shown) built in the electromagnetic solenoid 11, the backward movement of this plunger 11 is converted by the link mechanism 12 into a rotational movement in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 (counterclockwise) around the support shaft 14 of the locking claw 15. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the locking claw 15 engages with the engaging groove 4a of the knob shaft 4, thereby locking the rotation of the knob switch 2 and locking the rotation of the steering wheel 101 (see FIG. 1) by the steering wheel locking device 20 (see FIG. 7).

[0042] Incidentally, as described above, when the knob switch 2 is in the "ON" position shown in FIG. 6, the electromagnetic solenoid 10 is energized and the plunger 11 retracts as shown in FIG. 4, and the problem occurs that the locking claw 15 vibrates because it is disengaged from the engaging groove 4a of the knob shaft 4.

[0043] Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the knob switch 2 is in the "ON" position shown in FIG. 6, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, holding means is provided for holding the locking claw 15 in a disengaged state in a state where the locking claw 15 is disengaged from the engaging groove 4a of the knob shaft 4.

[0044] Here, two holding means are provided, one of which is composed of a spring 16 that urges the plunger 11 of the electromagnetic solenoid 10 in the retracting direction. As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, this spring 16 is wound around the support shaft 14 (in this embodiment, the left and right boss portions 13b of the link 13), and the end of an extension portion 16a that extends upward from the center portion in the width direction is pressed against the tip portion 11b of the plunger 11. Therefore, when the knob switch 2 is in the "ON" position shown in Fig. 6, the plunger 11 is urged in the retracting direction by the spring 16, and this holds the disengaged state of the locking claw 15 that is disengaged from the engagement groove 4a of the knob shaft 4, thereby suppressing its vibration.

[0045] The other holding means is composed of a click ball 17 fitted to the knob shaft 4 so as to be movable in the radial direction and which protrudes into and retracts from the engagement groove 4a, and a spring 18 which biases the click ball 17 radially outward. Here, the click ball 17 is movably housed in a housing hole 4b formed along the radial direction in the large diameter portion 4A formed at the rear end of the knob shaft 4, and the spring 18 is compressed in the housing hole 4b. When the knob switch 2 is in the "ON" position shown in FIG. 6, the housing hole 4b is formed at an angle position facing up and down as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. In this state, the click ball 17 protrudes partially from the housing hole 4b and presses the locking claw 15 upward. Therefore, the locking claw 15, which is disengaged from the engagement groove 4a of the knob shaft 4, is maintained in a disengaged state, and its vibration is suppressed.

[0046] The lock device 1 according to this embodiment is incorporated into a keyless engine starting system, and the overall configuration of this keyless engine starting system will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0047] 7 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the keyless engine starting system, and as shown in the figure, the locking device 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a control unit 30 including a microcomputer. To this control unit 30, the knob switch 2, the seat release switch 107, the electromagnetic solenoid 10, an actuator (solenoid) 21 for driving the seat lock device 20, and an unlocking display LED 22 for displaying the unlocking of the handlebar lock are electrically connected. The unlocking display LED 22 is disposed on a panel 103 of the scooter type motorcycle 100 shown in FIG. 1.

[0048] Thus, the locking device 1 of this embodiment is composed of a control unit 30, a knob switch 2, an electromagnetic solenoid 10, a link mechanism 12 connected to the plunger 11 of the electromagnetic solenoid 10, and a locking claw 15 connected to the link mechanism 12.

[0049] Meanwhile, the control unit 30 is electrically connected to a transmitting antenna 23 and a receiving unit 24 that communicate with a smart key 40 carried by the rider, and an FI-ECU 25 that controls fuel injection to the engine. The smart key 40 also has a function of communicating with the locking device 1 mounted on the scooter type motorcycle 100 shown in FIG. 1 and transmitting ID information, and is provided with two indicator lights 41, 42.

[0050] Here, the system configuration of the smart key 40 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0051] 8 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of a smart key, in which smart key 40 is provided with a receiving circuit 44 to which multiple antennas 43-1, 43-2, 43-3 are connected to enable omnidirectional transmission and reception, a transmitting circuit 45, an indicator light driving circuit 46 for driving green LED 41 and red LED 42 which are indicator lights, an EEPROM 47 which is a memory device for storing various data, a CPU 48 which controls these components, and a lithium battery 49 which is a power source. Smart key 40 also has a push button 50 for turning on / off lithium battery 49 which is a power source.

[0052] Next, the operation of the keyless engine starting system configured as above will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.

[0053] When the scooter-type motorcycle 100 shown in FIG. 1 is parked, the knob switch 2 is in the "LOCK" position shown in FIG. 6. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the locking claw 15 is engaged with the engagement groove 4a of the knob shaft 4, so that the rotation of the knob switch 2 is locked by the locking device 1 and the handlebar 101 is locked by the handlebar lock device 20.

[0054] In the above state, when the system starts (step S1 in FIG. 9), it is determined whether or not the rider has approached the scooter type motorcycle 100 within a predetermined distance (step S2). When the rider approaches the parked scooter type motorcycle 100 within the predetermined distance (step S2: Yes), communication is established between the smart key 40 carried by the rider and the control unit 30 (see FIG. 7) provided in the locking device 1 on the scooter type motorcycle 100 side to authenticate the ID information (step S3), and it is determined whether or not the ID information is legitimate (step S4).

[0055] If the ID information is found to be authentic (step S4: Yes), the control unit 30 energizes the electromagnetic solenoid 10 to release the lock of the knob switch 2 by the lock device 1 (step S5). Then, the knob switch 2 becomes rotatable, and it is determined whether the knob switch 2 is turned from the "LOCK" position to the "ON" position by the occupant (step S6). If the occupant turns the knob switch 2 from the "LOCK" position to the "ON" position (step S6: Yes), the handle 101 is released from the handle lock device 20, and the control unit 30 energizes the starter motor and the FI-ECU 25 (not shown) to prepare for starting the engine (step S7). If the ID information is found to be authentic as a result of the authentication of the ID information in step S4 (step S4: No), the process ends (step S14).

[0056] As described above, when the knob switch 2 is turned from the "LOCK" position to the "ON" position (step S6: Yes), the handlebar lock device 20 releases the lock of the handlebar 101 and prepares to start the engine (step S7). In this state, it is determined whether or not the ignition switch 6 shown in FIG. 6 has been pressed by the rider (step S8). If the rider presses the ignition switch 6 (step S8: Yes) as a result of this determination, the starter motor is driven to start the engine (step S9), and the scooter type motorcycle 100 becomes capable of traveling. Here, when the knob switch 2 is in the "ON" position and the scooter type motorcycle 100 is traveling, the electromagnetic solenoid 10 is energized, and therefore the plunger 11 of the electromagnetic solenoid 10 is retracted and the locking claw 15 is disengaged from the engagement groove 4a of the knob shaft 4, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In this state, the plunger 11 of the electromagnetic solenoid 10 is biased in the retracting direction (the direction in which the locking claw 15 is released) by the spring 16, and the locking claw 15 is pressed upward (in the release direction) by the click ball 17, so that the release state of the locking claw 15 is maintained and its vibration is suppressed.

[0057] Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the rider has stopped traveling of the scooter type motorcycle 100 and turned the knob switch 2 from the "ON" position to the "OFF" position (step S10). If the knob switch 2 is turned from the "ON" position to the "OFF" position (step S10: Yes), the engine is stopped (step S11). Then, from that state, it is determined whether or not the rider has turned the knob switch 2 from the "OFF" position to the "LOCK" position in order to park the scooter type motorcycle 100 (step S12). If the result of this determination is that the knob switch 2 is turned from the "OFF" position to the "LOCK" position (step S12: Yes), the control unit 30 cuts off the power supply to the electromagnetic solenoid 10 to lock the rotation of the knob switch 2 by the lock device 1, and the rotation operation of the handle 101 is locked by the handle lock device 20 (step S13), and the series of processes ends (step S14).

[0058] In addition to the above-mentioned rotation operation of the knob switch 2, when the occupant presses the seat unlocking switch 107, the actuator 21 is driven by the control unit 30 to release the lock of the seat 109 by the seat lock device 20, so that the occupant can freely open the seat 109. If the occupant then closes the open seat 109, the seat lock device 20 locks the seat 109 from being opened or closed.

[0059] As is clear from the above description, according to this embodiment, When the electromagnetic solenoid 10 is energized The state in which the locking claw 15 is disengaged from the engagement groove 4a of the knob shaft 4 and the lock is released (unlocked state) is 、 Because it is held by the holding means, the locking claw 15 can be reliably held in the unlocked state without increasing the current supplied to the electromagnetic solenoid 10. As a result, the knob switch 2 can be reliably held in the unlocked state and its vibration can be reliably prevented without incurring an increase in size, cost, or weight of the electromagnetic solenoid 10, or a deterioration in the ease of mounting it to the vehicle body.

[0060] In this embodiment, the spring 16 and the click ball 17 biased by the spring 18 are used as the retaining means for retaining the locking claw 15 in the disengaged state, so that the plunger 11 of the electromagnetic solenoid 10 is biased in the retracting direction by the spring 16, and the locking claw 15 is pressed in the disengaged direction by the click ball 17. Therefore, the disengaged state of the locking claw 15 (the unlocked state of the knob switch 2) is maintained, and vibration of the locking claw 15 is reliably prevented.

[0061] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in the keyless engine starting system, when ID information is authenticated through communication between the smart key 40 carried by the occupant and the control unit 30 on the vehicle side, the control unit 30 passes current through the electromagnetic solenoid 10 to unlock the lock mechanism 1, thereby allowing the knob switch 2 to rotate. Therefore, the occupant can simply rotate the knob switch 2 from the "LOCK" position to the "ON" position to unlock the handlebars and start the engine without having to operate the key, thereby reducing the burden on the occupant.

[0062] When the rider rotates the knob switch 2 from the "ON" position to the "OFF" position, the engine is stopped, and when the rider rotates the knob switch 2 from the "OFF" position to the "LOCK" position, the handlebars 101 are locked, thereby reliably preventing theft of the scooter-type motorcycle 100 when parked.

[0063] In the above embodiment, two holding means are used to hold the locking claw 15 in the disengaged state: spring 16 for biasing the plunger 11 of the electromagnetic solenoid 10 in the retracting direction (the direction in which the locking claw 15 is disengaged), and click ball 17 for pressing the locking claw 15 in the disengaged state in the disengagement direction, along with spring 18 for biasing this click ball. However, the same effect as described above can be obtained by using only one of these holding means.

[0064] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the electromagnetic solenoid 10 is used as the electric actuator, but any other electric actuator than the electromagnetic solenoid 10 can be used.

[0065] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the application of the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims and the technical ideas described in the specification and drawings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1 Vehicle locking device 2 Knob Switch 4 Knob shaft 4a Knob shaft engagement groove 6. Ignition switch 10 Electromagnetic solenoid (electric actuator) 11 Plunger 12 Link mechanism 13 Links 14 Spindle 15 Locking claw 16 Spring (retaining means) 17 Click ball (holding means) 18 Spring (retaining means) 20. Steering lock device 30 Control unit (vehicle side control unit) 40 Smart Key 100 Scooter type motorcycle (vehicle) 101 Steering wheel

Claims

1. A device for locking / unlocking the rotation of a knob switch which at least permits / prohibits engine start and locks / unlocks a steering wheel by a rotation operation, A vehicle lock device including a locking pawl that engages with and disengages from an engagement groove formed in a knob shaft that rotates integrally with the knob switch, an electric actuator, and a link mechanism that converts a reciprocating linear motion of the electric actuator into a rotational motion of the locking pawl, a holding means for holding the locking claw in a disengaged state when the locking claw is disengaged from the engagement groove by energizing the electric actuator; the electric actuator is constituted by an electromagnetic solenoid that causes a plunger to be pulled in when current is applied, thereby disengaging the locking claw from the engagement groove; 4. A vehicle lock device according to claim 3, wherein the retaining means is a spring that biases the plunger in a retracting direction.

2. A device for locking / unlocking the rotation of a knob switch which at least permits / prohibits engine start and locks / unlocks a steering wheel by a rotation operation, A vehicle lock device including a locking pawl that engages with and disengages from an engagement groove formed in a knob shaft that rotates integrally with the knob switch, an electric actuator, and a link mechanism that converts a reciprocating linear motion of the electric actuator into a rotational motion of the locking pawl, a retaining means for retaining the locking claw in a disengaged state when the locking claw is disengaged from the engagement groove, the retaining means comprising a click ball fitted onto the knob shaft so as to be radially movably and which protrudes and retracts from an outer circumferential surface of the knob shaft, and a spring which biases the click ball radially outward.

3. A device provided in a keyless engine starting system, 3. The vehicle locking device according to claim 1, wherein when ID information is authenticated by communication between a smart key carried by an occupant and a vehicle-side control unit, the vehicle-side control unit energizes the electric actuator to unlock the knob switch.

4. When the ID information is authenticated by the vehicle-side control unit, the knob switch can be rotated to the "ON" position, the "OFF" position, and the "LOCK" position. When the knob switch is rotated from the "LOCK" position to the "ON" position, the handle is unlocked and the engine is prepared to start. When the knob switch is rotated from the "ON" position to the "OFF" position, the engine is stopped; 4. The vehicle locking device according to claim 3, wherein when the knob switch is rotated from the "OFF" position to the "LOCK" position, the knob switch is locked from rotating and the steering wheel is locked.

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