Steering wheel

Abstract

To realize a steering handle provided with an accelerator function which reduces strain on fingers and allows for a fine accelerator operation by operating an accelerator with plural fingers of a thumb and the other fingers.SOLUTION: A steering handle comprises: a columnar gripping part 12; and an approximately cylindrical accelerator part 14, with the gripping part 12 as an axis, which is rotatably fitted to the vicinity thereof, and can operate the acceleration / deceleration of a vehicle. The accelerator part 14 includes: a main face 16 formed in such a manner that a part thereof extends in the outside direction of a cylinder and pressed with the thumb of a driver; and a finger stop part 18 provided at the side opposite to the main face 16 in an outer circumferential face of the accelerator part 14 and operated with fingers other than the thumb engaged, and the accelerator part 14 is rotated by the operations of the main face 16 and the finger stop part 18 by the driver.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a steering wheel having an accelerator function. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been proposed vehicles in which an operation part enabling manual accelerator operation is provided near a steering handle. Such a structure eliminates the need for accelerator operation by the foot, and thus is sometimes applied to welfare vehicles driven by drivers with injured or disabled legs. In addition, compared to a structure in which an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal are arranged at the driver's feet, such a structure has advantages including that it can suppress incorrect pedal depression caused by difficulty in visually checking the pedals, can secure a large space at the driver's feet, and can relax restrictions on driving posture, so it is also effective when applied to general-purpose vehicles.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a driving assistance device in which an operation part that allows a driver to manually operate the accelerator of a vehicle is provided near a steering grip. In this driving assistance device, while holding the steering grip, the driver performs accelerator operation by pressing the operation part with the fingers of the hand holding the grip. According to the configuration of this driving assistance device, the operation part does not interfere with the spokes of the steering wheel or the like, so the operation part can be pressed firmly, enabling easy accelerator operation. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2020-203602 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0005] Incidentally, in some vehicles that have a manually operated accelerator control unit located near the steering wheel, the driver operates the steering wheel by gripping a knob on the steering wheel with their right hand, and operates the accelerator by gripping a lever with accelerator and brake functions with their left hand. In other vehicles, the driver grips the steering wheel with both hands and operates the accelerator by pressing a control unit with their thumb. These vehicles have room for improvement in that simultaneous operation of the accelerator and brake is not possible. Furthermore, driving these vehicles for long periods of time can easily put a strain on the driver. In particular, in structures where the accelerator is operated only with the thumb, the strain on the thumb increases. Moreover, it is not easy to achieve the fine accelerator control required for stable driving and smooth acceleration and deceleration using only the thumb.

[0006] Therefore, this specification provides a steering wheel that reduces strain on the fingers and allows for fine accelerator operation by having the driver grip the steering wheel equipped with an accelerator unit and operate the accelerator unit with multiple fingers, including the thumb and other fingers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The steering handle disclosed herein comprises a cylindrical gripping portion and a substantially cylindrical accelerator portion rotatably mounted around the gripping portion as an axis, the accelerator portion capable of controlling the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle, wherein the accelerator portion has a main surface formed by extending a portion outward from the cylinder and being pressed by the driver's thumb, and a finger rest portion provided on the outer circumferential surface of the accelerator portion opposite to the main surface and being operated by fingers other than the thumb in a locked state, and the accelerator portion rotates by the driver's operation of the main surface and the finger rest portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the steering handle disclosed in this invention, the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle are controlled by the rotation of an accelerator section having a main surface pressed by the driver's thumb and a finger stopper section operated while other fingers are engaged. Compared to operating the accelerator section with only the thumb, this reduces the burden on the fingers and allows for finer accelerator control. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view of the steering wheel from the driver's side and left side. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the accelerator pedal. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The steering wheel will be explained below with reference to the diagrams. In each diagram, "Fr," "Up," and "Rh" indicate the front, top, and right side of the vehicle, respectively.

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the steering wheel from the driver's side and left side. The steering wheel 10 shown in Figure 1 is installed in front of the driver's seat inside the vehicle (not shown). When viewed from the rear of the vehicle, the steering wheel 10 is roughly trapezoidal in shape, and the legs on both sides of this trapezoid are made up of cylindrical gripping parts 12 that are grasped by the driver who steers the vehicle.

[0012] In the steering wheel 10, an accelerator unit 14 is attached to the right-hand grip portion 12, which is operated by the driver with their right hand. In Figure 1, the area enclosed by the dashed line is the accelerator unit 14. The accelerator unit 14 is mounted so as to be rotatable around the grip portion 12 as an axis. By rotating this accelerator unit 14, the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle can be controlled. In this example, the accelerator unit 14 is attached to the right-hand grip portion 12, but this is not the only option. For example, depending on the driver's dominant hand, the accelerator unit 14 may be attached to the left-hand grip portion 12. Furthermore, the accelerator unit 14 is not limited to being attached to only one side of the left or right grip portion 12, but can also be attached to both sides.

[0013] In Figure 1, the accelerator unit 14 is enclosed by a dashed line and shown in enlarged view A. More specifically, enlarged view A shows the shape of the accelerator unit 14 as seen from the driver side and upper right when the accelerator unit 14 is in its initial position (i.e., when the accelerator unit 14 is not operated by the driver and is not rotating). As shown in enlarged view A, the accelerator unit 14 is generally cylindrical in shape, with a portion extending outward from the cylinder. This extended portion faces the driver side in the initial position and extends inward in the vehicle width direction. The accelerator unit 14 has a surface 16 (hereinafter referred to as the "main surface 16") having this driver-side extended portion, and a finger stopper portion 18 provided on the outer circumferential surface of the accelerator unit 14 opposite to the main surface 16. The accelerator unit 14 is a single component in which the main surface 16 and the finger restraint 18 are linked. By operating the main surface 16 and the finger restraint 18, the accelerator unit 14 rotates, thereby accelerating and decelerating the vehicle.

[0014] The main surface 16, as will be described later with reference to Figure 2, is the surface that is pressed by the driver's thumb. The portion 16a that extends outward from the main surface 16 (the extended portion described above, hereinafter referred to as "extension 16a") is the surface on which the driver's thumb rests and is the surface that is pressed. As shown in enlarged view A, the extension 16a not only extends outward from the main surface 16 (that is, it does not extend straight in the tangential direction of the cylindrical shape of the accelerator portion 14), but is also shaped like a receiver into which the driver's thumb fits. In other words, the extension 16a itself has a concave shape when viewed from the driver's side.

[0015] The finger restraint portion 18, as will be described later with reference to Figure 2, is the part that is operated when the driver's fingers other than the thumb are engaged. As shown in Figure 1, the finger restraint portion 18 in this example is a projection, and the driver operates it by hooking the fingers other than the thumb (for example, the index finger in this example) onto this projection.

[0016] Next, the operation of the accelerator unit 14 will be further explained with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the accelerator unit in Figure 1. More specifically, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the accelerator unit 14 shown in Figure 1, and is a schematic diagram showing the cross-sectional shape of the accelerator unit 14 in a plan view. As shown in Figure 2, the driver places their thumb 20 on the extension 16a of the main surface 16, hooks their index finger 22 onto the finger stopper 18, places their fingers on the accelerator unit 14, and grips the gripper 12 (not shown in Figure 2) with their other fingers and palm to steer the steering wheel 10.

[0017] As described above, the specific operation of the accelerator unit 14 is achieved by the main surface 16 and the finger rest 18 working in conjunction, with the thumb 20 pressing down on the extension 16a of the main surface 16 and the index finger 22 hooking onto the finger rest 18 and pulling it in. In Figure 2, the moment of force from the thumb 20 pressing down is represented by the thick arrow 24, and the moment of force from the index finger 22 pulling in is represented by the arrow 26. In other words, by applying moments in two directions, the accelerator unit 14 rotates, and speed control is achieved. As an example, deceleration is performed in the same way as operating a conventional foot-operated accelerator pedal or the accelerator of a motorcycle. That is, the accelerator unit 14 is biased towards the origin position without accelerator operation by the force of a spring. Therefore, when the driver releases their fingers to weaken the biasing force of the accelerator unit 14, the spring reaction force causes the accelerator unit 14 to rotate back to its original position, resulting in deceleration.

[0018] As described above, since the accelerator unit 14 applies a moment in two directions, the burden on the thumb 20 does not increase when operating the steering wheel 10 in this example, as would be the case if the accelerator was operated using only the thumb 20. Furthermore, because the accelerator unit 14 is rotated and operated using multiple fingers, including the thumb 20 and index finger 22, the operation is stable and fine accelerator control becomes possible.

[0019] Furthermore, even if the thumb 20 and index finger 22 are not placed in the basic positions described above and the gripping part 12 is not firmly grasped, the accelerator part 14 can be operated by simply pushing in the extension part 16a with the thumb 20 or pulling in the finger stopper part 18 with the index finger 22. From the standpoint of reducing strain on the fingers, the basic operation method is to rotate the accelerator part 14 while placing the thumb 20 and index finger 22 on the extension part 16a and finger stopper part 18 of the main surface 16, respectively, but this is not the only method of operation. For example, various switches are installed in the central part of the steering wheel 10, but in this example, the accelerator part 14 can be operated with just the index finger 22, so it is possible to operate the switches with the thumb 20 removed from the main surface 16. However, if the structure was such that the accelerator could be operated only by the thumb 20, when the thumb 20 is removed from the accelerator part 14, the spring reaction force would cause the accelerator part 14 to return to its original position, and the speed would not be maintained, resulting in deceleration. On the other hand, in this example, the accelerator unit 14 is basically designed to be operated with the thumb 20 and index finger 22 as described above, but it is not limited to that; the rotational position of the accelerator unit 14 can be maintained as long as either finger is resting on the accelerator unit 14. Therefore, even if the thumb 20 is lifted off the main surface 16 or the index finger 22 is lifted off the finger rest 18, the rotation of the accelerator unit 14 will not return to its original position against the driver's will, and the speed can be maintained.

[0020] It should be noted that the above description is merely an example, and the steering wheel disclosed herein may be configured such that the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle is controlled by the rotation of an accelerator portion having a main surface that is pressed by the driver's thumb and a finger rest portion provided on the outer circumferential surface of the accelerator portion opposite to the main surface, which is operated by the fingers other than the thumb engaging with it. Therefore, other configurations may be changed as appropriate.

[0021] For example, although the steering wheel of the present example eliminates the need for accelerator operation with a foot, the steering wheel of the present example can also be applied to a conventional vehicle that has an accelerator pedal. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the finger stopper is formed as a projection, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and it may have a recessed shape. Further, the finger stopper may have a configuration in which no uneven portion is provided, and only a slip prevention member that prevents fingers from slipping is provided. That is, the finger stopper only needs to have a shape that makes it easy to turn the accelerator portion while keeping fingers other than the thumb in a locked state and holding such fingers.

[0022] Further, in the operation of the accelerator portion according to the present example, as described above, a normal operation is realized by pushing the main surface with the thumb and pulling by hooking a finger other than the thumb on the finger stopper, but the operation is not limited to this when an irregular operation is required. For example, when sudden deceleration is required, the accelerator portion may be operated by pressing the finger stopper in the deceleration direction of the accelerator portion. Description of Reference Signs

[0023] 10: Steering wheel, 12: Grip portion, 14: Accelerator portion, 16: Main surface, 16a: Extension portion, 18: Finger stopper.

Claims

1. A cylindrical gripping part, A substantially cylindrical accelerator portion is mounted so as to be rotatable around the aforementioned gripping portion, and the accelerator portion is capable of operating the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle. Equipped with, The aforementioned accelerator unit is, An extension portion that extends and protrudes outward from the cylinder, with one side of the extension portion functioning as a main surface that is pressed by the thumb of a screwdriver, A finger stopper is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the accelerator portion, on the surface opposite to the main surface, and is operated in a state where fingers other than the thumb are engaged. It has, The main surface has a concave shape that allows a thumb to fit inside. The accelerator portion rotates when the main surface and the finger rest portion of the driver are operated. A steering wheel characterized by the following features.

2. The steering wheel according to Claim 1, The steering handle is characterized in that the extension portion faces the driver side and extends inward in the vehicle width direction from the circumferential surface of the cylinder when the accelerator portion is not operated in the initial position.

3. The steering wheel according to Claim 2, The steering handle is characterized in that the finger restraint portion protrudes from the outer surface of the cylinder and is a projection with a different shape from the extension portion.

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