Shift operation mechanism, automated driving robot, test specimen testing system, and shift operation method for automated driving robot

Abstract

This shift operation mechanism 1 for an automated driving robot 100 that drives a test specimen, which is a vehicle or a part thereof, comprises a clamping mechanism 10 that clamps a rotary type dial shift R, and an actuator 20 that rotates the clamping mechanism 10 about the axis of rotation of the dial shift R, wherein the clamping mechanism 10 comprises: a plurality of clamping pieces 11 that clamp the dial shift R from the sides of the dial shift R; and an elastic member 12 that imparts an elastic force in the direction in which the plurality of clamping pieces 11 clamp the dial shift R.

Description

Shift operation mechanism, autonomous driving robot, test specimen testing system, and shift operation method for autonomous driving robot

[0001] The present invention relates to a shift operation mechanism for an autonomous driving robot that automatically drives a vehicle or a test specimen that is a part thereof, an autonomous driving robot, a test specimen testing system, and a shift operation method for an autonomous driving robot.

[0002] Conventionally, some shift operation mechanisms for autonomous driving robots, such as autonomous driving robots, include a shift actuator for performing shift switching operations on a shift lever, as shown in Patent Document 1. The shift actuator is configured so that the hand portion that contacts the shift lever can move in the forward / backward, left / right, and up / down directions, allowing for automatic shift switching operations on the shift lever.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-187004

[0004] In recent years, in addition to shift levers with knobs, there are also rotary types (hereinafter referred to as dial shifts) that change the vehicle's gears by rotating them. In this case, the shift operation mechanism must clamp the dial shift in order to rotate it. However, various shapes of dial shifts have been proposed, and the structure of the shift operation mechanism must be adapted to the various shapes of the dial shifts, making it difficult to simply clamp the dial shift.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a shift operation mechanism that can easily accommodate dial-type shifters of various shapes.

[0006] In other words, the shift operation mechanism of the present invention is a shift operation mechanism for an autonomous driving robot that drives a vehicle or a test specimen that is a part thereof, and is equipped with a clamping mechanism that clamps a rotary type dial shift and an actuator that rotates the clamping mechanism around the rotation axis of the dial shift, and is characterized in that the clamping mechanism has a plurality of clamping pieces that clamp the dial shift from the sides of the dial shift, and an elastic member that applies an elastic force in the direction in which the plurality of clamping pieces clamp the dial shift.

[0007] With this arrangement, the elastic member applies elastic force to the clamping pieces in the direction of clamping the dial shift, so the clamping pieces clamp the dial shift from the sides and maintain that state, making it possible to easily clamp dial shifters of various shapes.

[0008] The clamping mechanism further includes a pair of arm members having one end operated by an operator and the other end to which the clamping pieces are connected, the pair of arm members expanding and contracting the distance between the pair of clamping pieces when the operator operates the pair of one end, and the elastic member imparts the elastic force to the pair of arm members in a direction in which the pair of clamping pieces clamp the dial-type shift. With this configuration, the operator can expand and contract the distance between the pair of clamping pieces by operating the pair of one end, so the operation of clamping the pair of clamping pieces to the dial-type shift can be performed with one hand.

[0009] The clamping pieces may have opposing surfaces that face the side surfaces of the dial shifter and come into surface contact with the side surfaces of the dial shifter when clamping the dial shifter. With this configuration, when the clamping pieces clamp the dial shifter, the opposing surfaces come into surface contact with the side surfaces of the dial shifter, allowing the multiple clamping pieces to stably clamp the dial shifter.

[0010] The clamping piece is rotatably connected to the other end of the arm member, and further includes a position maintaining mechanism that maintains the clamping pieces in a position facing the side of the dial shifter. With this configuration, the clamping pieces maintain a position facing the side of the dial shifter and clamp the dial shifter from the side, allowing for stable clamping of the dial shifter. Furthermore, the clamping piece can stably clamp various dial shifters of different sizes.

[0011] It is preferable that the actuator is provided above the clamping mechanism, and the shift operation mechanism further includes a pushing mechanism that pushes the actuator downward. In this case, the pushing mechanism pushes the actuator downward, so that the shift operation mechanism can perform a pushing operation on the dial shift in addition to a rotating operation on the dial shift.

[0012] The clamping piece is preferably formed facing the upper surface of the dial shifter and has a contact surface that comes into contact with the upper surface of the dial shifter when the pushing mechanism pushes the actuator downward. In this case, when the pushing mechanism is operating, the contact surface comes into contact with the upper surface of the dial shifter, so that the dial shifter can be reliably pushed in via the contact surface.

[0013] The shift operation mechanism may further include a finger pinch prevention portion that surrounds a gap that occurs in the shift operation mechanism when the pushing mechanism is operated. This configuration can prevent an operator's fingers from being pinched when the pushing mechanism is operated.

[0014] The autonomous driving robot of the present invention is characterized by including the shift operation mechanism and a holding device that holds the shift operation mechanism.

[0015] Furthermore, the present invention provides a specimen testing system for testing the specimen, characterized in that it comprises a test facility for testing the specimen, and the automatically driven robot.

[0016] In addition, a method of operating a shift lever for an autonomous driving robot that drives a vehicle or a test specimen that is a part thereof is characterized in that an elastic force is applied to a plurality of clamping pieces in the direction of clamping a rotary type dial shift lever, the dial shift lever is clamped from the sides by the plurality of clamping pieces, and the dial shift lever clamped by the plurality of clamping pieces is rotated around the rotation axis of the dial shift lever.

[0017] According to the self-driving robot, specimen testing system, and shift operation method for the self-driving robot of the present invention, it is possible to achieve the same effects as the self-driving robot of the present invention described above.

[0018] According to the present invention configured in this manner, it is possible to provide a shift operation mechanism that can easily clamp dial-type shifters of various shapes.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an autonomous driving robot according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shift operation mechanism according to the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an open state of the shift operation mechanism according to the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a closed state of the shift operation mechanism according to the same embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a finger pinch prevention portion according to the same embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an autonomous driving robot according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing an autonomous driving robot according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing an autonomous driving robot according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] <Embodiments of the Invention> An autonomous driving robot 100 equipped with a shift operation mechanism 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that in all of the drawings shown below, some parts may be omitted or exaggerated as appropriate for ease of understanding. Identical components will be assigned the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0021] The autonomous driving robot 100 of this embodiment constitutes a test subject testing system used for vehicle performance testing using, for example, a chassis dynamometer, and is installed inside a vehicle as a test subject to autonomously drive the vehicle. Note that the vehicle performance testing referred to here may include, for example, exhaust gas testing, fuel economy testing, and electric power consumption testing.

[0022] 1, this autonomous driving robot 100 includes a shift operation mechanism 1 that operates a rotary-type dial shift R provided near a seat (for example, the driver's seat), a holding device 2 that holds the shift operation mechanism 1 in place on the seat, and a control unit 3 that controls various devices. In the following description, the front of the vehicle is referred to as the front, and the opposite direction from the front of the vehicle is referred to as the rear.

[0023] In this embodiment, the dial shift R changes the shift position by rotating and / or pushing in. In this embodiment, the dial shift R may be, for example, generally cylindrical, and the rotation axis of the dial shift R is an axis along the axial direction of the cylindrical shape.

[0024] The shift operation mechanism 1 is configured to perform, from the seat, at least a rotation operation for switching the shift position of the dial shift R by rotating the dial shift R, and a pushing operation for the dial shift R. The shift operation mechanism 1 may also operate an operation button provided on the dial shift R.

[0025] Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the shift operation mechanism 1 includes a clamping mechanism 10 that clamps the dial shift R from the side, an actuator 20 that rotates the clamping mechanism 10 around the rotation axis of the dial shift R, and a pushing mechanism 30 that pushes in the actuator 20.

[0026] The autonomous driving robot 100 may further perform pedal operation. In this case, the autonomous driving robot 100 may further include, in addition to the actuator 20, an actuator such as a pedal actuator that performs depression of an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and / or a clutch pedal.

[0027] The configuration of each part will be explained below.

[0028] The clamping mechanism 10 is configured to be expandable and contractible relative to the dial shift R, thereby clamping the dial shift R from the side of the dial shift R. Note that the side of the dial shift R refers to a direction (radial direction) perpendicular to the rotation axis of the dial shift R.

[0029] Specifically, the clamping mechanism 10 includes a pair of clamping pieces 11 that clamp the dial shift R from the sides of the dial shift R, an elastic member 12 that applies elastic force in the direction in which the pair of clamping pieces 11 clamp the dial shift R, and a pair of arm members 13 between which the elastic member 12 is provided. In other words, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the multiple clamping pieces 11 are movable from the sides of the dial shift R in directions toward and away from the dial shift R. Furthermore, the clamping mechanism 10 is a mechanism for moving the multiple clamping pieces 11 from the sides of the dial shift R in directions toward and away from the dial shift R.

[0030] The multiple clamping pieces 11 are a pair of members that are provided facing each other on the dial shift R. The multiple clamping pieces 11 do not have to be a pair, and there may be three or more. The multiple clamping pieces 11 do not have to be provided facing each other on the dial shift R. For example, when multiple clamping pieces 11 are provided, they may be arranged so that the resultant force of the forces applied by the clamping pieces to the dial shift R is approximately zero.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2 , each clamping piece 11 of this embodiment faces the side of the dial shifter R and has an opposing surface 11a that contacts the side of the dial shifter R when clamping the side of the dial shifter R. The opposing surface 11a of this embodiment may be in surface contact with the side of the dial shifter R when clamping the side of the dial shifter R. The opposing surface 11a for surface contact with the side of the dial shifter R may be configured, for example, as a partial circumferential shape that conforms to the side of the dial shifter R. Alternatively, the opposing surface 11a may be provided with an anti-slip member that prevents the dial shifter R from slipping off the clamping piece 11 when the clamping piece 11 clamps the dial shifter R. In this case, the anti-slip member may be deformed to fit the shape of the side of the dial shifter R, thereby making surface contact with the side of the dial shifter R. Here, the anti-slip member may be made of a flexible material such as sponge or rubber.

[0032] 3 and 4 , the elastic member 12 applies an elastic force to the multiple clamping pieces 11 in a direction (radially inward) toward the side of the dial shift R. In this embodiment, the elastic member 12 is, for example, a torsion spring to apply a large gripping force to the clamping pieces 11 with a small displacement. However, the elastic member 12 may be, for example, a double clip-like structure in which an elastic force is generated by bending a metal plate, and / or a coil-like spring interposed between the pair of arm members 13. In this embodiment, the elastic member 12 is covered by a casing to prevent an operator's fingers from being pinched when the clamping pieces 11 are expanded or contracted, but it does not have to be covered by a casing.

[0033] The pair of arm members 13 are operated by an operator to move the clamping piece 11. Hereinafter, one of the pair of arm members 13 will also be referred to as a first arm member, and the other will also be referred to as a second arm member.

[0034] More specifically, each arm member 13 has an arm body 131 to which the clamping piece 11 is connected, and a link portion 132 provided on the arm body 131. The link portion 132 of the first arm member and the link portion 132 of the second arm member are connected to each other. With this configuration, by expanding or contracting the distance between one end portions 13a of each arm member 13, each arm member 13 rotates around the connection point of each link portion 132 as the center of rotation, thereby expanding or contracting the distance between the other end portions 13b of each arm member 13. In other words, when an operator pinches one end portion 13a of each arm member 13, each arm member 13 rotates around the elastic member 12 as the center of rotation, and the other end portions 13b of each arm member 13 open or close relative to each other.

[0035] The arm body 131 of each arm member 13 has one end 13a that is operated by an operator and the other end 13b to which the clamping pieces 11 are connected. In other words, the pair of arm members 13 increases or decreases the distance between the pair of clamping pieces 11 when the pair of one end 13a is operated by an operator. Here, the one end 13a refers to one side of the arm member 13 in the longitudinal direction, and the other end 13b refers to the other side of the arm member 13 in the longitudinal direction.

[0036] The clamping pieces 11 are rotatably connected to the other end 13b of each arm body. Specifically, the clamping pieces 11 are rotatably connected so as to follow the side of the dial shifter R regardless of the rotation angle (posture) of the arm body 131. More specifically, the clamping pieces 11 are rotatably connected to the other end 13b of each arm body 131 so that the opposing surfaces 11a of the clamping pieces 11 are substantially parallel to the side of the dial shifter R, or so that even if the dial shifter R is tilted, the clamping pieces 11 tilt in accordance with the tilt of the dial shifter R. In this embodiment, the clamping pieces 11 are rotatably connected around a rotation axis provided along the width direction of the arm body 131. With this configuration, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the pair of clamping pieces 11 can be opened and closed with the opposing surfaces 11a of the clamping pieces 11 facing directly to the side of the dial shifter R. Then, the distance between the pair of clamping pieces 11 becomes smaller, so that the pair of clamping pieces 11 can clamp the dial shift R.

[0037] Additionally, an elastic member 12 is provided between the pair of arm members 13. This elastic member 12 applies an elastic force to the pair of arm members 13 in a direction in which the pair of clamping pieces 11 clamp the dial shifter R (i.e., in a direction in which the other ends 13b of the arm bodies 131 move toward each other). The elastic member 12 of this embodiment applies an elastic force to the link portions 132 of the pair of arm members 13 in a direction in which the distance between the pair of clamping pieces 11 decreases. Because the distance between the pair of clamping pieces 11 decreases due to the elastic force, the pair of clamping pieces 11 can clamp the dial shifter R.

[0038] Furthermore, the clamping mechanism 10 of this embodiment has a posture maintaining mechanism 14 that maintains the posture of the pair of expanding and contracting clamping pieces 11. This posture maintaining mechanism 14 maintains the pair of clamping pieces 11 in a posture facing directly to the side of the dial shift R when the distance between them expands and contracts.

[0039] Specifically, the posture maintaining mechanism 14 has a linear shaft portion 141 provided on one of the clamping pieces 11, and a slide guide portion 142 provided on the other clamping piece 11, along which the shaft portion 141 slides.

[0040] The shaft portion 141 and the slide guide portion 142 slide with the pair of clamping pieces 11 in a facing position. The shaft portion 141 is provided on at least one side of one of the clamping pieces 11 so as to sandwich the rotation shaft of the dial-type shift R therebetween. The slide guide portions 142 are provided on both sides of the pair of clamping pieces 11 so as to correspond to the shaft portion 141 and sandwich the rotation shaft of the dial-type shift R therebetween. When the distance between the pair of clamping pieces 11 increases or decreases due to this position holding mechanism 14, the shaft portion 141 and the slide guide portions 142 slide relative to each other accordingly, and the pair of clamping pieces 11 are held in a facing position.

[0041] 3 and 4, in this embodiment, the clamping mechanism 10 further includes a distance maintaining mechanism 15 that maintains a desired distance between the pair of clamping pieces 11. The distance maintaining mechanism 15 is provided on the slide guide portion 142 and fixes the shaft portion 141 to the slide guide portion 142. Specifically, the distance maintaining mechanism 15 can be configured using a clamp lever or the like.

[0042] Next, a method for attaching the clamping mechanism 10 to the dial shift R will be briefly described.

[0043] The operator pinches one end 13a of the arm body 131 to shorten the distance between them. As a result, as shown in Figure 3, the distance between the clamping pieces 11 connected to the other end 13b of the arm body 131 increases. In this state, the elastic member 12 applies an elastic force to the pair of arm members 13 in a direction in which the pair of clamping pieces 11 clamp the dial shift R (i.e., in a direction in which the other end 13b of the arm body 131 move toward each other).

[0044] Next, the worker positions the opposing surfaces 11a of the pair of clamping pieces 11 directly against the side surface of the dial shifter R. When the force with which the worker pinches one end 13a of the arm body 131 decreases, the elastic force applied to the arm member 13 causes the pair of clamping pieces 11 to move from the side of the dial shifter R in a direction to clamp the dial shifter R. When the pair of clamping pieces 11 are clamping the dial shifter R, the opposing surfaces 11a of each clamping piece 11 are in surface contact with the side surface of the dial shifter R.

[0045] The actuator 20 is a member that drives the clamping mechanism 10 to rotate the dial shifter R. Specifically, the actuator 20 in this embodiment is a rotary actuator that rotates the dial shifter R around the rotation axis of the dial shifter R, and examples of such a rotary device include a motor. In this embodiment, the actuator 20 is connected to the clamping mechanism 10 directly or via a member to transmit rotation to the clamping mechanism 10. This allows the clamping mechanism 10 to rotate while the dial shifter R is clamped by the clamping mechanism 10, thereby operating the dial shifter R. Note that the actuator 20 is not limited to a rotary actuator, and may be a linear actuator and / or a cylinder that moves a member interposed between the actuator 20 and the clamping mechanism 10 in a predetermined direction. In this case, the actuator 20 may rotate the clamping mechanism 10 by moving a member interposed between the actuator 20 and the clamping mechanism 10 in a predetermined direction. Examples of a system in which the actuator 20 rotates the clamping mechanism 10 by moving a member in a predetermined direction include a rack-and-pinion system, a slider-crank system, and a cam system.

[0046] The pushing mechanism 30 pushes the actuator 20 downward. Specifically, the pushing mechanism 30 is configured with a drive source such as an air cylinder or a motor and a link mechanism, and the drive source may be used to move the link mechanism, thereby making it possible to move the actuator 20 in the vertical direction.

[0047] Here, the clamping piece 11 is formed facing the upper surface of the dial shift R, and has a contact surface 11b that comes into contact with the upper surface of the dial shift R when the pushing mechanism 30 pushes the actuator 20 downward. As the pushing mechanism 30 moves the actuator 20 downward, the contact surface 11b of the clamping piece 11 comes into contact with the upper surface of the dial shift R, causing the dial shift R to be pushed in.

[0048] 5, the shift operation mechanism 1 of this embodiment further includes a finger pinch prevention portion 40 that surrounds a gap that occurs in the shift operation mechanism 1 as the pushing mechanism 30 operates. The finger pinch prevention portion 40 is, for example, a casing that covers a gap that occurs in the pushing mechanism 30 as the pushing mechanism 30 operates. The gap occurs between the components that make up the pushing mechanism 30 as the distance between these components increases or decreases.

[0049] The holding device 2 is configured to hold at least the shift operation mechanism 1 on the seat. In addition to the shift operation mechanism 1, the holding device 2 may also hold other components constituting the autonomous driving robot 100, such as the control unit 3 and / or various actuators.

[0050] The control unit 3 is a so-called computer that includes analog electrical circuits such as buffers and amplifiers, digital electrical circuits such as a CPU, memory and DSP, and an A / D converter interposed therebetween. The CPU and / or its peripheral devices work together in accordance with a predetermined program stored in the memory to control at least the rotational operation of the actuator 20. The control unit 3 may control the pushing operation of the pushing mechanism 30, or may be incorporated into a control device that constitutes the autonomous driving robot 100.

[0051] <Effects of this embodiment> With the self-driving robot 100 of this embodiment configured as described above, the elastic member 12 applies an elastic force in the direction in which the clamping pieces 11 clamp the dial shift R. The elastic force causes the clamping pieces 11 to move in the direction in which they clamp the dial shift R, maintaining the state in which the clamping pieces 11 clamp the dial shift R. Therefore, dial shifters R of various shapes can be easily clamped.

[0052] Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0053] 6, the posture maintaining mechanism 14 may have a plurality of shaft portions 141. Specifically, the posture maintaining mechanism 14 has a linear shaft portion 141 connecting the pair of clamping pieces 11 and a through-hole 14h formed in one of the clamping pieces 11 so that the shaft portion 141 can slide. In the second embodiment, the posture maintaining mechanism 14 has two shaft portions 141, but the number of shaft portions 141 is not limited to two, and may be one, there may be no shaft portion 141, or there may be three or more shaft portions.

[0054] As shown in Figure 7(a), an elastic member such as a spring may be connected to the clamping piece 11. The spring applies a radial force to the clamping piece 11, allowing it to clamp the dial shift R. The shift operation mechanism 1 does not necessarily have to include the position retention mechanism 14. If the position retention mechanism 14 is included, the position retention mechanism 14 may be arc-shaped rather than elongated.

[0055] As shown in Figure 7(b), a spring may be connected to the clamping piece 11 so that the clamping piece 11 faces the dial shift R. In this case, the shift operation mechanism 1 may further include a position maintaining mechanism 14, or may not include the position maintaining mechanism 14.

[0056] As shown in Figure 7(c), the clamping piece may be made up of two members: a first clamping portion provided closer to the dial shift R and a second clamping portion provided further away. The first clamping portion and the second clamping portion may be connected by an elastic member. By connecting an expansion / contraction mechanism to the second clamping portion, the dial shift R can be clamped with greater force.

[0057] As shown in Figure 7(d), member A may be used to press the dial shift R. In this case, member A may have a depression portion that presses a button attached to the top surface of the dial shift R. Members A and B may be integral, and the depression portion may have any shape, such as a protrusion or a block. Separate members may also be bonded together with screws and / or adhesive.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 7( e), the clamping piece 11 may be composed of two members: a first clamping portion provided near the dial shift R and a second clamping portion provided farther away. Multiple first clamping portions may be connected to one second clamping portion. In FIG. 7( e), there are two first clamping portions, but three or more may be connected. The first clamping portion and the second clamping portion may be connected by an elastic member. By connecting an expansion / contraction mechanism to the second clamping portion, the dial shift R can be clamped with greater force.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 8(a), the clamping piece 11 may be hollowed out in an arc shape and a flexible material such as sponge and / or rubber may be attached to accommodate various shift diameters and surface shapes.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 8( b), multiple types of flexible materials (flexible materials) may be placed on the portions of the clamping pieces 11 that come into contact with the dial shifter R. In this case, by placing a harder, less deformable flexible material at the corners of the clamping pieces 11, the center of the clamping pieces 11 and the center of the dial shifter R may be closer together when clamped. Alternatively, by placing a more deformable flexible material near the center of the clamping pieces 11, the shape may be changed to match the surface shape of the dial shifter R, allowing for stable clamping while preventing damage to the dial shifter R. The arrangement of the flexible materials may be reversed, or more types of flexible materials may be used.

[0061] As shown in Figure 8(c), a protruding member may be provided on the clamping piece 11 so that the protruding member clamps the dial shift R. This reduces the contact surface with the dial shift R, increasing the clamping force and bringing the centers of the clamping piece 11 and the dial shift R closer together when clamped.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 8( d ), the clamping piece 11 may be composed of a first clamping portion closer to the dial shift R and a second clamping portion farther from the dial shift R, with the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion being connected via a free joint. A movement limiting member may be provided surrounding the free joint to limit the range of motion of the free joint. A flexible material or a protrusion may be provided on the contact surface of the first clamping portion that contacts the dial shift R. Here, a free joint is one that can freely move in both horizontal and vertical directions. If the movable angle of the free joint is too wide, it becomes difficult to clamp the item, so the angle of the free joint may be limited by using a resin block or the like.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 8( e), the clamping piece 11 may be divided into a first clamping portion and a second clamping portion, with the first clamping portion having a shape that matches the dial shift R to be operated. The shape of the dial shift (e.g., diameter, surface shape, presence or absence of buttons) may differ depending on the vehicle manufacturer. Therefore, from among multiple types of first clamping portions shaped to match each vehicle, a first clamping portion with an optimal shape for each test vehicle may be attached to the second clamping portion. In this case, the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion can be connected by any connection method, such as screws and / or adhesives.

[0064] As shown in Figure 8(f), the rotation axis of the actuator 20 may be different from the rotation axis of the dial shift R. In this case, the actuator 20 and the clamping piece 11 may be connected to different rotation transmission members, and the rotation of the actuator may be transmitted to the clamping piece via the rotation transmission member. The rotation transmission member may be, for example, a gear.

[0065] 9, the pair of clamping pieces 11 may be configured to be expandable and contractible in an arc shape, for example, and clamp the dial shift R. Specifically, the clamping pieces 11 are fixedly connected to the ends of an arm member 13. The elastic member 12 rotates the arm member 13 to expand and contract, thereby expanding and contracting the clamping pieces 11 in an arc shape.

[0066] 9, the clamping piece 11 may have a protrusion 11c for gripping the dial shift R so that the contact surface with the dial shift R is reduced and the center of the clamping mechanism 10 is aligned with the center of the dial shift R. By vertically aligning the center of the clamping mechanism 10 with the center of the dial shift R, the protrusion 11c more efficiently transmits the rotation of the actuator 20 to the dial shift R, enabling efficient operation of the dial shift R.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the multiple clamping pieces 11 are a pair that expand and contract in the radial direction, but there may be two or more pairs of clamping pieces 11, or an odd number of clamping pieces 11 may each move toward the center of the dial shift R to clamp the dial shift R. Specifically, there may be three or five or more clamping pieces 11 evenly spaced along the circumference of the dial shift R. Also, in the above embodiment, there is a pair of arm members 13, but there may be three or more arm members 13 depending on the number of clamping pieces 11.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the multiple clamping pieces 11 are in contact with each other when they are not clamping the dial shifter R, but this is not limited to this. For example, a spacer or the like may be provided to adjust the distance between the multiple clamping pieces 11 to a predetermined distance when the dial shifter R is not being clamped between the clamping pieces 11. Here, the spacer may be, for example, a hollow, bead-like and / or cylindrical shape. By passing the spacer through the posture maintaining mechanism 14, the distance between the multiple clamping pieces 11 when they are not clamping the dial shifter R can be adjusted as desired. This prevents the operator's fingers from being pinched between the multiple clamping pieces 11 and reduces the amount of movement of the clamping pieces 11.

[0069] In the above embodiment, the autonomous driving robot 100 is used for vehicle performance testing using a chassis dynamometer as the testing equipment, but this is not limiting. The testing equipment may be, for example, a powertrain dynamometer for testing the powertrain of a test specimen, an engine dynamometer, a brake dynamometer, or any other type of dynamometer for a drive system that applies a load to a completed vehicle or a test specimen that is a part of a completed vehicle.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the autonomous driving robot 100 performs at least the position switching operation of the dial shift R and the pressing operation of the button B provided on the dial shift R, but this is not limited to this. The autonomous driving robot 100 may be configured to perform some of these operations depending on the type of vehicle (e.g., automatic transmission vehicle, manual transmission vehicle) that is the test specimen.

[0071] Although the autonomous driving robot 100 is equipped with a holding device 2, if the shift operation mechanism 1 and / or the control device can be fixed to the seat without using the holding device 2, the holding device 2 does not need to be provided.

[0072] Additionally, if a button is provided on the top surface of the dial shift R, the clamping mechanism 10 may further include a pressing mechanism for pressing the button.

[0073] Although the shift operation mechanism 1 in this embodiment is used to operate a dial-type shifter R, it may also operate other operation dials. Examples of other operation dials include dials for air conditioning or audio provided on the side wall of the vehicle, or a column-type shifter attached around the steering wheel. The column-type shifter is provided on or near the steering wheel of the vehicle, and shifts gears by rotating the tip. The actuator in this embodiment may clamp a part or all of the column-type shifter to rotate the column-type shifter. Here, if the dial-type shifter R or operation dial to be operated is provided on the side wall of the vehicle and / or if the dial-type shifter R or column-type shifter is disposed obliquely and does not extend directly upward, the actuator 20 and / or the pushing mechanism do not need to be provided above the clamping mechanism 10.

[0074] 10 , the shift operation mechanism 1 may further include a support member 70 that prevents the actuator 20 from sinking into the operation dial when the operation dial is operated. Specifically, the support member 70 is rod-shaped and includes a support rod 71 that is placed on a fixed surface, such as the surface on which the operation dial is provided, to support the actuator 20, a support rod gripping portion 72 that is interposed between the actuator 20 and the support rod 71 and grips the support rod 71, and an anti-slip portion 73 that prevents the support rod 71 from sliding on the surface on which the operation dial is provided.

[0075] Here, the position at which the support rod gripping portion 72 grips the support rod 71 is configured to be adjustable, thereby allowing the length of the support rod 71 from the position at which it is gripped by the support rod gripping portion 72 to the fixed surface to be adjusted.

[0076] Furthermore, the anti-slip portion 73 is provided at the lower end of the support rod 71 and is, for example, spherical in shape here, but the shape is not particularly limited. The anti-slip portion 73 is made of an elastic material such as rubber. When the shift operation mechanism 1 operates the operation dial, the anti-slip portion 73 is placed at a position other than the operation dial on the fixed surface. More specifically, the anti-slip portion 73 is placed near the operation dial on the fixed surface.

[0077] The specimen testing system in this embodiment may further include a host control device PC. The host control device controls the specimen testing system and controls the autonomously driven robot 100 and / or the test equipment. The host control device may send control signals to the autonomously driven robot 100 and / or the test equipment and / or control the test equipment, and may also acquire data obtained from the test. Furthermore, the operator performing the specimen testing can arbitrarily set test conditions using the host control device. The host control device PC may not only control the autonomously driven robot and / or the test equipment, but may also control the rotation operation of the actuator 20 and / or the pushing operation of the pushing mechanism 30 instead of the control unit 3.

[0078] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0079] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a shift operation mechanism that can easily clamp dial-type shifters of various shapes.

[0080] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Shift operation mechanism 10 Clamping mechanism 11 Clamping piece 12 Elastic member 13 Arm member 14 Posture maintaining mechanism 20 Actuator 30 Push-in mechanism 40 Finger pinch prevention portion

Claims

1. A shift operation mechanism for an autonomous driving robot that drives a vehicle or a part thereof as a test specimen, comprising: a clamping mechanism that clamps a rotary type dial shift; and an actuator that rotates the clamping mechanism around the rotation axis of the dial shift, wherein the clamping mechanism has a plurality of clamping pieces that clamp the dial shift from the sides of the dial shift; and an elastic member that applies an elastic force in the direction in which the plurality of clamping pieces clamp the dial shift.

2. The clamping mechanism further comprises a pair of arm members having one end operated by an operator and the other end to which the clamping pieces are connected, the pair of arm members expand and contract the distance between the pair of clamping pieces when the pair of one ends are operated by an operator, and the elastic member imparts the elastic force to the pair of arm members in a direction in which the pair of clamping pieces clamp the dial-type shift, a shift operation mechanism as described in claim 1.

3. A shift operation mechanism as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the clamping piece faces the side of the dial shift and has an opposing surface that comes into surface contact with the side of the dial shift when clamping the side of the dial shift.

4. A shift operation mechanism as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the clamping piece is rotatably connected to the other end of the arm member, and the clamping mechanism further includes a position maintaining mechanism that maintains the multiple clamping pieces in a facing position facing directly to the side of the dial-type shift.

5. A shift operation mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a pushing mechanism that pushes the actuator downward.

6. The shift operation mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the clamping piece is formed facing the upper surface of the dial shift and has a contact surface that comes into contact with the upper surface of the dial shift when the pushing mechanism pushes the actuator downward.

7. A shift operation mechanism according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising a finger-trap prevention portion that surrounds a gap that occurs in the shift operation mechanism as the pushing mechanism operates.

8. An autonomous driving robot comprising: a shift operation mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7; a pedal actuator that operates at least one of an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a clutch pedal of the test specimen; a control device that controls at least one of the shift operation mechanism and the pedal actuator; and a holding device that holds the shift operation mechanism.

9. A specimen testing system for testing the specimen, comprising: test equipment for testing the specimen; and the autonomous driving robot according to claim 8.

10. A method of operating a shift lever for an autonomous driving robot that drives a vehicle or a part thereof, comprising applying elastic force to a plurality of clamping pieces in a direction that clamps a rotary type dial shift lever, clamping the dial shift lever from the sides with the plurality of clamping pieces, and rotating the dial shift lever clamped by the plurality of clamping pieces around the rotation axis of the dial shift lever.

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