Shift operation mechanism, automatic driving robot, test product testing system, and shift operation method of automatic driving robot

Abstract

Provided is a shift operation mechanism 1 of an automatic driving robot for driving a test product, which is a vehicle or a part thereof, said shift operation mechanism 1 comprising: a shift lever operation unit 11 that operates a shift lever of the test product; a shift button operation unit 12 that operates a button B provided to the shift lever L of the test product; and a control unit 13 that controls the shift lever operation unit 11 and the shift button operation unit 12.

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, a shift operation mechanism for an autonomous driving robot includes a shift actuator for performing a shift switching operation of a shift lever and a control device for controlling the shift switching operation of the shift actuator, as shown in, for example, Patent Document 1. The control device controls the shift actuator, thereby enabling automatic shift switching operation of the shift lever.

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

[0004] In some test specimens, a pushable button is provided on the shift lever. In such cases, the conventional method involves wrapping tape around the shift lever to press the button, and then operating the shift lever in this state with a shift actuator.

[0005] However, with the recent advances in vehicle performance, there are cases where the test subject's automated driving requires the operation of a button on the shift lever in the same way as the shift lever's shift switching operation. However, conventional shift operation mechanisms do not have a mechanism for pressing a button on the shift lever, and therefore cannot perform the operation of pressing the button.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its main objective is to provide a shift operation mechanism that allows not only shift switching operation of the shift lever but also operation of pressing a button provided on the shift lever.

[0007] In other words, the shift operation mechanism of the present invention is a shift operation mechanism of an autonomous driving robot that drives a vehicle or a test specimen that is a part thereof, and is characterized by comprising a shift lever operation unit that operates the shift lever of the test specimen, a shift button operation unit that operates a button provided on the shift lever of the test specimen, and a control unit that controls the shift lever operation unit and the shift button operation unit.

[0008] With this arrangement, the shift lever operation unit can be used to perform shift switching operations on the shift lever, and the shift button operation unit can be used to operate buttons provided on the shift lever.

[0009] The shift button operation unit may be provided in the shift lever operation unit.

[0010] In this case, the shift button operation unit is provided in the shift lever operation unit, so the device configuration of the shift operation mechanism can be simplified compared to a configuration in which the shift button operation unit is provided separately from the shift lever operation unit.

[0011] When the shift lever moves in an arc, for example, if the shift button operation unit is fixed to the shift lever operation unit, the position of the button and the position of the shift button operation unit may become misaligned, which may result in the shift button operation unit being unable to press the button.

[0012] Therefore, it is preferable that the shift lever operation unit has a connection unit connected to the shift lever and a first actuator unit that moves the connection unit, and that the shift button operation unit moves in accordance with the movement of the connection unit by the first actuator unit.

[0013] With this configuration, even if the shift lever moves and the position of the shift lever changes, the shift button operation unit moves in accordance with the movement of the connection unit by the first actuator unit, so the shift button operation unit can reliably press the button.

[0014] The shift button operation unit may be provided at the connection portion. With this configuration, the connection portion is connected to the shift lever, and the shift button operation unit is provided at the connection portion, so that the positional relationship between the shift button operation unit and the shift lever can be constant.

[0015] The shift button operation unit includes a pusher that pushes the button and a second actuator that moves the pusher toward the button, and the second actuator is provided in the connection unit. With this configuration, the pusher can be attached to the shift lever with the relative positions of the pusher and the button constant, so that the pusher can reliably push the button.

[0016] The connecting portion has a cup portion that fits over the shift lever and a shaft portion that supports the cup portion with respect to the first actuator portion, and the shift button operation portion is attached to the shaft portion so as to be rotatable about the shaft portion. With this configuration, the shift button operation portion can be attached to the shift lever in any direction desired by the user, so that the shift button operation portion can be attached to the shift button regardless of the direction in which the shift button is attached to the shift lever.

[0017] The self-driving robot of the present invention is also characterized by comprising the shift operation mechanism, a control device that controls the operation of the shift operation mechanism, a pedal actuator that operates the accelerator pedal, brake pedal and / or clutch pedal, and a holding device that holds the control device and / or the shift operation mechanism.

[0018] 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.

[0019] A shift operation method for operating the shift lever of a vehicle or a part of a vehicle as a test specimen using an autonomous driving robot, characterized in that the shift lever is operated by a shift lever operation unit of the autonomous driving robot, and a shift button provided on the shift lever is operated by a shift button operation unit of the autonomous driving robot.

[0020] According to the self-driving robot and specimen testing system of the present invention, it is possible to achieve the same effects as the self-driving robot of the present invention described above.

[0021] According to the present invention configured in this manner, it is possible to provide a shift operation mechanism that allows the operation of pressing a button provided on a shift lever and the control thereof.

[0022] A diagram schematically showing an autonomous driving robot according to this embodiment. A diagram schematically showing another configuration of the autonomous driving robot according to the same embodiment. A diagram schematically showing an autonomous driving robot according to another embodiment. A diagram schematically showing an autonomous driving robot according to another embodiment.

[0023] <One embodiment of the present invention> An autonomous driving robot 100 equipped with a shift operation mechanism 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that all of the drawings shown below are drawn in a schematic manner, with appropriate omissions or exaggerations made to facilitate understanding. Identical components are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 1, this autonomous driving robot 100 includes a shift operation mechanism 1 for operating a shift lever L from a seat (e.g., a driver's seat), a control device (not shown) that controls the autonomous driving robot 100, and a holding device 2 that holds the shift operation mechanism 1 and / or the control device on the seat. In the following description, the front side of the vehicle is referred to as the front, and the rear side of the vehicle is referred to as the rear. Note that the autonomous driving robot 100 may also include an accelerator pedal operation mechanism for operating an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal operation mechanism for operating a brake pedal, and / or a clutch pedal operation mechanism for operating a clutch pedal.

[0026] The shift lever L of this embodiment is generally columnar, and a button B used for operating the test specimen is provided on the side and / or top surface of the shift lever L. The shift position of the shift lever L of this embodiment is changed by moving the position of the shift lever L. The test specimen of this embodiment is operated by a combination of a switching operation for switching the shift position of the shift lever L and / or a pressing operation for pressing the button B.

[0027] The shift operation mechanism 1 allows at least a shift switching operation for switching the shift position of the shift lever L and a pushing operation for pushing a button B provided on the shift lever L to be performed from the seat.

[0028] Specifically, the shift operation mechanism 1 includes a shift lever operation unit 11 that operates the shift lever L, a shift button operation unit 12 that operates a button B provided on the shift lever L, and a control unit 13 that controls the shift lever operation unit 11 and the shift button operation unit 12. The control unit 13 may be provided in the control device.

[0029] The autonomous driving robot 100 may also be equipped with pedal actuators that operate the pedals of the test subject. In this case, the pedal actuators include at least one of an accelerator pedal actuator that operates an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal actuator that operates a brake pedal, or a clutch pedal actuator that operates a clutch pedal. In addition, the autonomous driving robot 100 may operate driving devices of the test subject, such as a start button, an ignition key, vehicle operation switches such as an air conditioner switch and / or an idling stop switch, paddle shifters, and / or windshield wipers.

[0030] The configuration of each of the units 11 to 13 will be described below.

[0031] The shift lever operating unit 11 performs a shift switching operation to change the shift position of a shift lever L (e.g., a floor shift or a column shift). The shift lever operating unit 11 includes a connection part 11a connected to the shift lever L and a first actuator part 11b that drives the connection part 11a.

[0032] The connection portion 11a is connected to, for example, the upper end portion of the shift lever L, but the location where it is connected to the shift lever L is not particularly limited. Specifically, the connection portion 11a is maintained in a state where it is placed over the shift lever L. More specifically, the connection portion 11a has, for example, a cup portion 11a1 that is placed over the upper end portion of the shift lever L and has a cup shape, and a shaft portion 11a2 that supports the cup portion 11a1 with respect to the first actuator portion 11b.

[0033] The first actuator 11b is configured using, for example, a solenoid, an air cylinder, or a motor. The first actuator 11b moves the connecting portion 11a at least in the front-rear direction and / or the left-right direction, thereby changing the shift position of the shift lever L.

[0034] The shift button operation unit 12 performs a pressing operation to press a button B provided on the shift lever L. Specifically, the shift button operation unit 12 includes a pressing unit 12a for pressing the button B provided on, for example, the knob of the shift lever L, and a second actuator unit 12b for driving the pressing unit 12a. The second actuator unit 12b is configured using, for example, a solenoid, an air cylinder, or a motor. The second actuator unit 12b moves the pressing unit 12a in the direction in which the button B is pressed. As a result, the pressing unit 12a comes into contact with the button B on the shift lever L, pressing the button B. The direction in which the button B is pressed here refers to the front-to-rear direction when the button B is provided in front and / or behind the shift lever L, the left-to-right direction when the button B is provided on a side of the shift lever L, and the up-to-down direction when the button B is provided on the top surface of the shift lever L.

[0035] The shift button operation unit 12 of this embodiment is provided on the shift lever operation unit 11. Specifically, the shift button operation unit 12 is provided on a connection portion 11a of the shift lever operation unit 11.

[0036] In this embodiment, the shift button operation unit 12 moves in response to the movement of the connection unit 11a by the first actuator unit 11b. Specifically, because the shift button operation unit 12 is provided on the connection unit 11a, when the cup portion 11a1 of the shift lever operation unit 11 is moved at least in the front-rear direction and / or the left-right direction by the first actuator unit 11b, the shift button operation unit 12 also moves at least in the front-rear direction and / or the left-right direction together with the cup portion 11a1. This allows the relative position of the button B and the pressing portion 12a to be constant regardless of the movement of the shift lever L. The relative position here refers to the position of the pressing portion 12a relative to the button B, and includes, for example, the distance between the button B and the pressing portion 12a and / or the angle between the button B and the pressing portion 12a.

[0037] In this embodiment, both the pushing portion 12a and the second actuator portion 12b of the shift button operation portion 12 are provided facing the button B. Here, since the button B is provided in front of the shift lever L, the pushing portion 12a and the second actuator portion 12b are provided in front of the shift lever L facing the button B.

[0038] The shift button operation unit 12 of this embodiment is attached to the shaft portion 11a2 so as to be rotatable around the shaft portion 11a2. Specifically, the second actuator portion 12b of the shift button operation unit 12 is attached to the shaft portion 11a2 so as to be rotatable around the shaft portion 11a2, and the pressing portion 12a can also rotate around the shaft portion 11a2 together with the second actuator portion 12b. This allows the user to position the pressing portion 12a at a position where the pressing portion 12a faces the button B.

[0039] The control unit 13 is a so-called computer that has analog electrical circuits with buffers and amplifiers, etc., digital electrical circuits with a CPU, memory, DSP, etc., and an A / D converter, etc., interposed therebetween. The control unit 13 controls at least the shift switching operation of the shift lever operation unit 11 and the pushing operation of the shift button operation unit 12 by the CPU and / or its peripheral devices working together in accordance with a predetermined program stored in the memory.

[0040] The shift lever operation unit 11 and the shift button operation unit 12 perform various operations by receiving control signals from the control unit 13. Specifically, the shift lever operation unit 11 and the shift button operation unit 12 are electrically connected to the control unit 13 via a cable (not shown), receive control signals from the control unit 13, and operate based on these signals.

[0041] <Effects of this embodiment> According to the self-driving robot 100 of this embodiment configured as described above, the shift lever operation unit 11 can be used to perform shift switching operations on the shift lever L, and the shift button operation unit 12 can be used to operate the button B provided on the shift lever L.

[0042] Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the shift button operation unit 12 is provided in front of the shift lever L facing the button B, but this is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 2( a), the second actuator unit 12b of the shift button operation unit 12 may be provided behind the shift lever L, and the pressing unit 12a may extend rearward facing the button B. In this case, the second actuator unit 12b may move the pressing unit 12a rearward, for example, linearly, causing the pressing unit 12a to press the button B. In this case, the pressing unit 12a is provided to be movable between a position where it presses the button B (a pressed position) and a position where it does not press the button B (a standby position), and the second actuator unit 12b drives the pressing unit 12a between the pressed position and the standby position.

[0044] With this configuration, the shift button operation unit 12 is provided behind the shift lever L, so that the shift button operation unit 12 can be easily provided and the operation of the shift button operation unit 12 is not hindered by devices such as the steering wheel or display.

[0045] In the above embodiment and in Figure 2(a), the second actuator unit 12b linearly moves the pressing part 12a back and forth in the same direction as the pressing direction of the button B, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figures 2(b) to 2(f), the second actuator unit 12b may move the pressing part 12a in a direction different from the pressing direction of the button B. More specifically, this is explained below.

[0046] 2(b), the pressing portion 12a may have a shape (for example, a tapered shape that widens downward) that presses the button B by covering the shift lever L. In this case, a possible configuration is that the second actuator portion 12b moves the pressing portion 12a in the up and down direction, causing the button B to come into contact with the inner surface of the pressing portion 12a, and the pressing portion 12a presses the button B.

[0047] As shown in Figures 2(c) and 2(d), the second actuator unit 12b may rotate the pressing unit 12a, causing the pressing unit 12a to press the button B. For example, as shown in Figure 2(c), the pressing unit 12a may have a shape that forms part of an arc. Also, as shown in Figure 2(d), the pressing unit 12a may have a shape (for example, a disk shape) with an opening formed in an eccentric position that surrounds the knob of the shift lever L.

[0048] 2( e), the pressing portion 12 a may be, for example, a bag-shaped expandable body that expands when a fluid such as air is supplied thereto. In this case, the second actuator portion 12 b may be configured using, for example, a control valve that controls the flow rate of the fluid, and the second actuator portion 12 b may control the fluid supplied to the pressing portion 12 a, thereby causing the pressing portion 12 a to expand and press the button B.

[0049] 2(f), the pressing portion 12a may be linear, such as a wire, and the pressing portion 12a may be configured to press the button B due to tension applied to the pressing portion 12a by the second actuator portion 12b. In this case, the pressing portion 12a may be wound around a position where it can press at least the button B, and the pressing portion 12a may be configured to press the button B by applying tension to the pressing portion 12a by winding it up or the like.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 3 , the shift operation mechanism 1 may be configured such that the shift button operation unit 12 in the shift lever operation unit 11 can change its position in response to the position of the shift lever L. Specifically, the shaft portion 11a2 on which the shift button operation unit 12 is provided can be connected to the cup portion 11a1 by a connecting mechanism 14 such as a universal joint. With this configuration, the position of the connection portion 11a changes in response to the position of the shift lever L, and the position of the shift button operation unit 12 provided on the connection portion 11a also changes. Because the position of the shift button operation unit 12 changes in this manner, the relative position between the button B and the pressing portion 12a of the shift button operation unit 12 can be kept constant even when the shift lever L moves. As a result, even when the shift lever L moves, the position of the shift button operation unit 12 does not deviate from the position of the button B, and the shift button operation unit 12 can reliably press the button B.

[0051] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the shift button operation unit 12 may be provided separately from the shift lever operation unit 11. In this case, the shift button operation unit 12 may be attached to the shift lever L using, for example, a connecting member 15 so that the relative position of the shift button operation unit 12 with respect to the button B remains constant. With this configuration, when the shift button operation unit 12 and the shift lever L are connected, the relative position of the push portion 12a of the shift button operation unit 12 with respect to the button B remains constant regardless of the movement of the shift lever L. Note that although the shift button operation unit 12 is provided in front of the shift lever L facing the button B, it may also be provided behind or to the side of the shift lever L.

[0052] 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.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the autonomous driving robot 100 performs at least the operation of changing the position of the shift lever L and the operation of pressing the button B provided on the shift lever L, 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 being tested (e.g., an automatic transmission vehicle or a manual transmission vehicle). Note that the autonomous driving robot 100 does not need to be equipped with the 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.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the connecting portion 11a is maintained in a state of covering the shift lever L, but it may also be configured to grip the shift lever L when the shift operation mechanism 1 operates the shift lever L. An example of a configuration in which the connecting portion 11a grips the shift lever L when the shift operation mechanism 1 operates the shift lever L is one in which the connecting portion 11a is configured by, for example, a robot hand or the like, and the robot hand is driven to grip the shift lever L when the shift lever L is operated.

[0055] The specimen testing system of this embodiment may further include a host controller PC, as shown in FIG. 4 . The host controller PC controls the specimen testing system and controls the autonomously driving robot 100 and / or the test equipment. The host controller PC may send control signals to the autonomously driving robot 100 and / or the test equipment and / or control the test equipment, and may also acquire data obtained during testing. Furthermore, an operator conducting the specimen testing can arbitrarily set test conditions using the host controller PC. The host controller PC may not only control the autonomously driving robot and / or the test equipment, but may also control the shift switching operation of the shift lever operating unit 11 and the pushing operation of the shift button operating unit 12 instead of the control unit 13.

[0056] 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.

[0057] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a shift operation mechanism that allows not only the shift switching operation of the shift lever but also the operation of pressing a button provided on the shift lever.

[0058] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Shift operation mechanism 11 Shift lever operation portion 11a Connection portion 11a1 Cup portion 11a2 Shaft portion 11b First actuator portion 12 Shift button operation portion 12a Push portion 12b Second actuator portion 13 Control 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 shift lever operation unit that operates the shift lever of the test specimen; a shift button operation unit that operates a button provided on the shift lever; and a control unit that controls the shift lever operation unit and the shift button operation unit.

2. The shift operation mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the shift button operation portion is provided on the shift lever operation portion.

3. A shift operation mechanism as described in claim 2, wherein the shift lever operation unit has a connection unit connected to the shift lever and a first actuator unit that moves the connection unit, and the shift button operation unit moves in response to movement of the connection unit by the first actuator unit.

4. A shift operation mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the shift button operation portion is provided on the connection portion.

5. A shift operation mechanism as described in claim 3 or 4, wherein the shift button operation unit has a pressing unit that presses the button and a second actuator unit that moves the pressing unit toward the button, the second actuator unit being provided in the connection unit.

6. A shift operation mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the connection portion has a cup portion that fits over the shift lever and a shaft portion that supports the cup portion relative to the first actuator portion, and the shift button operation portion is attached to the shaft portion so as to be rotatable around the shaft portion.

7. An autonomous driving robot comprising: a shift operation mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5; a control device that controls the operation of the shift operation mechanism; a pedal actuator that operates an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and / or a clutch pedal; and a holding device that holds the control device and / or the shift operation mechanism.

8. A specimen testing system for testing the specimen, comprising: test equipment for testing the specimen; and the autonomous driving robot according to claim 7.

9. A shift operation method for an autonomous driving robot in which the shift lever of a vehicle or a test specimen that is a part thereof is operated by an autonomous driving robot, wherein the shift lever is operated by a shift lever operation unit of the autonomous driving robot, and a shift button provided on the shift lever is operated by a shift button operation unit of the autonomous driving robot.

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