Vehicle shift operation device

Abstract

This vehicle shift operation device is provided with: a steering wheel that is provided in a vehicle and that is rotated to change the steering angle of a turning wheel of the vehicle; an operation unit that is provided on the steering wheel to switch a transmission provided in the vehicle to a prescribed gear; and a switching control unit that prohibits switching control of the transmission gear by the operation unit when the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel exceeds a first threshold value.

Description

Vehicle shift operation device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a shift operation device for a vehicle.

[0002] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019 / 0011042 discloses a vehicle that includes a transmission with multiple gears and a touchscreen display mounted on the steering wheel that allows the transmission to be shifted to a desired gear.

[0003] Furthermore, the vehicle can be configured so that shifting operations using a display mounted on the steering wheel are permitted only when the vehicle speed is below a predetermined value and braking operations are being performed using the braking device.

[0004] Even in vehicles where shifting operations using the display are permitted only when the above conditions are met, there is a risk that a passenger operating the steering wheel may mistakenly perform a shifting operation using the display.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a shift operation device for a vehicle that can reduce the risk that a driver operating a steering wheel will mistakenly perform a shift operation of a transmission using an operation unit provided on the steering wheel.

[0006] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a shift operation device for a vehicle, comprising: a steering wheel provided on a vehicle, which is rotated to change the steering angle of steered wheels of the vehicle; an operation unit provided on the steering wheel for shifting a transmission provided on the vehicle to a predetermined gear; and a switching control unit that prohibits the operation unit from controlling the shifting of gears of the transmission when the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel exceeds a first threshold value.

[0007] A second aspect of the vehicle shift operation device of the present disclosure is the vehicle shift operation device of the first aspect of the present disclosure, in which, when the rotational position of the steering wheel is in a neutral position, the operation unit is allowed to control the shifting of the transmission to P range.

[0008] A third aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle shift operation device in which, in the vehicle shift operation device of the second aspect of the present disclosure, the switching control unit allows the operation unit to control the shifting of the gear positions of the transmission when the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a second threshold, a braking device provided on the vehicle is operated, and the steering angular velocity is equal to or less than the first threshold.

[0009] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle shift operation device according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the steering wheel comprises a hub portion which is the center of rotation, a plurality of spoke portions extending radially from the hub portion, and a rim portion connected to the outer peripheral ends of the spoke portions, and the operation portion is provided on the spoke portions.

[0010] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, when the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel exceeds a first threshold, the shift control unit prohibits the shifting control of the transmission using the operation unit provided on the steering wheel. Therefore, the first aspect of the present disclosure reduces the risk that an occupant operating the steering wheel will erroneously perform a shift operation of the transmission using the operation unit provided on the steering wheel.

[0011] The vehicle shift operation device according to the second aspect of the present disclosure can prevent the gear stage of the transmission from being set to the P range when the steering wheel is in a position rotated from the neutral position.

[0012] In the vehicle shift operation device of the third aspect of the present disclosure, when the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a second threshold, the brake device is operated, and the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel is equal to or less than a first threshold, the operation unit is allowed to control the shifting of the transmission's gears. This reduces the risk that the occupant will unintentionally use the operation unit provided on the steering wheel to control the shifting of the transmission's gears.

[0013] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the vehicle shift operation device has an operating element provided on a spoke. Compared to a hub, the spoke is more likely to be accidentally contacted by a driver gripping the steering wheel. However, when the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel exceeds a first threshold, the shift control unit prohibits the driver from controlling the transmission's gear position using the operating element provided on the steering wheel. Therefore, even though the operating element is provided on the spoke, the vehicle shift operation device of the fourth aspect can reduce the risk that a driver operating the steering wheel will mistakenly perform a shift operation of the transmission using the operating element provided on the steering wheel.

[0014] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a front part of an interior of a vehicle to which a vehicle shift operation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied, and an enlarged view of a hub portion. Fig. 2 is a control block diagram of an ECU mounted on the vehicle. Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the ECU. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing processing performed by a CPU of the ECU. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing processing performed by the CPU. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a steering wheel of a vehicle shift operation device according to a first modified example of the present disclosure. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a steering wheel of a vehicle shift operation device according to a second modified example of the present disclosure.

[0015] A vehicle 10 to which a vehicle shift operation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5. In each figure, the left side of the vehicle 10 is indicated by an arrow LH, and the top of the vehicle 10 is indicated by an arrow UP.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 10 includes an instrument panel 12. The instrument panel 12 is provided with a steering wheel 14. The steering wheel 14 includes a hub portion 16, which is a rotation center, three spokes 17A, 17B, and 17C extending radially from the hub portion 16, and an outer peripheral grip portion 18, which is a substantially circular rim portion connected to the outer peripheral ends of each of the spokes 17A, 17B, and 17C. The hub portion 16 is fixed to the rear end of a steering shaft (not shown), which is parallel to the front-to-rear direction in a plan view. The steering wheel 14 can rotate clockwise and counterclockwise around the steering shaft. When the occupant is not applying force to the steering wheel 14, the rotational position of the steering wheel 14 is located in a neutral position shown in FIG. 1. At this time, the spokes 17A and 17B, which are located approximately 180° apart from each other around the hub portion 16, are substantially parallel to the left-to-right direction. When the steering wheel 14 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise from the neutral position, the steering angle of the left and right front wheels (i.e., steered wheels) (not shown) provided on the vehicle 10 changes. As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle 10 is equipped with a steering angle sensor 19 for detecting the rotation angle of the steering shaft.

[0017] A touch panel display (i.e., operation unit) 20 is provided on the rear end surface of the hub portion 16. The display 20 is capable of displaying various images. Furthermore, a P range operation member 29 is provided on the instrument panel 12. The P range operation member 29 is movable between an initial position relative to the instrument panel 12 and an operation position moved from the initial position toward the front of the vehicle relative to the instrument panel 12. When no external force is applied to the P range operation member 29, the P range operation member 29 is located in the initial position. When a forward external force is applied to the P range operation member 29, the P range operation member 29 moves to the operation position.

[0018] 2, the vehicle 10 includes a transmission 22. The transmission 22 has a plurality of gear stages. As will be described later, the gear stages of the transmission 22 are changed using the display 20 and a P-range operating member 29.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle 10 is equipped with a braking device (brake device) 23 and a brake switch 24. The vehicle 10 also has a brake pedal (not shown). When the brake pedal is depressed by the foot of an occupant of the vehicle 10, the braking device 23 is activated, and braking force is applied from the braking device 23 to each wheel (not shown) of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the brake switch 24 is turned ON and outputs a predetermined detection signal to the ECU 30 when the brake pedal is depressed by an amount equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and is turned OFF when the brake pedal is depressed by an amount less than the predetermined amount. When the brake switch 24 outputs the detection signal, the braking device 23 is activated under the control of the ECU 30.

[0020] 2, the vehicle 10 is provided with four wheel speed sensors 25. Each wheel speed sensor 25 detects the wheel speed of one of the four wheels of the vehicle 10.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 10 has an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 30 as a hardware configuration.

[0022] The ECU 30 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 30A, a read-only memory (ROM) 30B, a random access memory (RAM) 30C, a storage 30D, a communication I / F 30E, and an input / output I / F 30F. The CPU 30A, the ROM 30B, the RAM 30C, the storage 30D, the communication I / F 30E, and the input / output I / F 30F are interconnected via an internal bus 30Z so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0023] The CPU 30A is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. The CPU 30A reads programs from the ROM 30B or the storage 30D and executes the programs using the RAM 30C as a work area. The CPU 30A controls each component and performs various arithmetic processing in accordance with the programs recorded in the ROM 30B or the storage 30D.

[0024] The ROM 30B stores various programs and various data. The RAM 30C temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 30D is configured by a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) and stores various programs and various data.

[0025] The communication I / F 30E is an interface for connecting via an external bus (not shown) to an ECU (not shown) other than the ECU 30. The interface uses a communication standard such as the CAN protocol.

[0026] The input / output I / F 30F is an interface for communicating with various devices, including a steering angle sensor 19, a display 20, a transmission 22 (control mechanism), a braking device 23, a brake switch 24, a wheel speed sensor 25, and a P-range operating member 29.

[0027] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of ECU 30. ECU 30 has, as its functional configuration, a display control unit 301, a brake control unit 302, a vehicle speed calculation unit 303, a steering angular velocity calculation unit 304, and a shift control unit (i.e., a switching control unit) 305. The display control unit 301, the brake control unit 302, the vehicle speed calculation unit 303, the steering angular velocity calculation unit 304, and the shift control unit 305 are realized by CPU 30A reading and executing programs stored in ROM 30B.

[0028] The display control unit 301 controls the display 20. The display 20 controlled by the display control unit 301 displays the shift position image 21 as shown in Fig. 1. The shift position image 21 has a P range image 21P, an N range image 21N1, a D range image 21D, an N range image 21N2, an R range image 21R, a first direction display image 21D1, and a second direction display image 21D2. On the display 20, the N range image 21N1 is located above the P range image 21P, the R range image 21R is located above the N range image 21N1, the N range image 21N2 is located below the P range image 21P, and the D range image 21D is located below the N range image 21N2. That is, when the steering wheel 14 is in the neutral position and viewed from behind along the axis of the steering shaft, the P-range image 21P, N-range image 21N1, R-range image 21R, N-range image 21N2, and D-range image 21D are aligned on an imaginary line IML that is perpendicular to the left-right direction. The first direction display image 21D1, which has images representing two triangles, represents the direction from the P-range image 21P to the D-range image 21D. Similarly, the second direction display image 21D2, which has images representing two triangles, represents the direction from the P-range image 21P to the R-range image 21R.

[0029] Furthermore, as will be described later, when the gear position of the transmission 22 is changed, the display control unit 301 displays the image representing the selected gear position in a different manner from the other images. For example, the display control unit 301 displays the color of the image representing the selected gear position in a different color from the other images, or causes only the image representing the selected gear position to flash. For example, as will be described later, when the P range is selected as the gear position of the transmission 22, the display control unit 301 controls the display 20 so that the P range image 21P is displayed in red and the images of the shift position image 21 other than the P range image 21P are displayed in white.

[0030] The brake control unit 302 has a function of activating the braking device 23 when the brake switch 24 outputs a detection signal.

[0031] The vehicle speed calculation unit 303 calculates the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 based on the detection values ​​of the wheel speed sensors 25 .

[0032] The steering angular velocity calculation unit 304 calculates the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel 14 by differentiating the detection value of the steering angle sensor 19 .

[0033] The shift control unit 305 has a function of determining whether a predetermined shift operation permission condition is met. In this embodiment, the shift operation permission condition is met when the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel 14 calculated by the steering angular velocity calculation unit 304 is equal to or less than a first threshold value, the vehicle speed calculated by the vehicle speed calculation unit 303 is equal to or less than a second threshold value, and the brake switch 24 outputs the detection signal. In other words, the shift operation permission condition is not met when the steering angular velocity is greater than the first threshold value, the vehicle speed is greater than the second threshold value, or the brake switch 24 does not output the detection signal. The first threshold value is, for example, 5 rad / s. The second threshold value is, for example, 5 km / h.

[0034] When the P-range operating member 29 is operated by the occupant, the shift control unit 305 controls a control mechanism (not shown) of the transmission 22 to change the gear position of the transmission 22 to the P range. In other words, the transmission 22 is changed to the parking state.

[0035] Furthermore, when the shift operation permission condition is met, the shift control unit 305 changes the gear position of the transmission 22 to N range, D range, or R range based on a touch operation by a part of the occupant's body on the display 20 displaying the shift position image 21. More specifically, when a flick operation (touch operation) is performed on the display 20 in a direction along the imaginary line IML using a hand Hd or the like, the shift control unit 305 changes the gear position of the transmission 22 to N range, D range, or R range. On the other hand, when the shift operation permission condition is not met, the shift control unit 305 does not change the gear position of the transmission 22 even if the occupant performs a touch operation on the display 20.

[0036] For example, if the shift operation permission condition is satisfied and the occupant's hand Hd performs a flick operation once in a direction along the first directional display image 21D1 or the second directional display image 21D2, the shift control unit 305 changes the gear position of the transmission 22 to N range. That is, the transmission 22 is shifted to a neutral state. Also, if the shift operation permission condition is satisfied and the occupant's hand Hd performs a flick operation twice in a direction along the first directional display image 21D1 within a predetermined time, the shift control unit 305 changes the gear position of the transmission 22 to D range. That is, the gear position of the transmission 22 is shifted to a forward gear. Also, if the shift operation permission condition is satisfied and the occupant's hand Hd performs a flick operation twice in a direction along the second directional display image 21D2 within a predetermined time, the shift control unit 305 changes the gear position of the transmission 22 to R range. That is, the gear stage of the transmission 22 is changed to a reverse gear. This predetermined time is, for example, two seconds.

[0037] Of the above-described configuration, the steering wheel 14 , the steering angle sensor 19 , the display 20 , the P-range operation member 29 and the ECU 30 are components of a vehicle shift operation device 35 .

[0038] (Operations and Effects) Next, operations and effects of the embodiment will be described.

[0039] The flow of processing performed by the CPU 30A of the ECU 30 of the vehicle 10 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 4 and 5. The CPU 30A repeatedly executes the processing of the flowcharts of Figures 4 and 5 every time a predetermined time elapses. First, the processing of the flowchart of Figure 4 will be described.

[0040] First, in step S10 (hereinafter, the word "step" will be omitted), the CPU 30A determines whether the brake switch 24 is outputting the detection signal.

[0041] If the determination in S10 is Yes, the CPU 30A proceeds to S11, where it determines whether the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel 14 is equal to or less than a first threshold value.

[0042] If the determination in S11 is Yes, the CPU 30A proceeds to S12 and determines whether the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a second threshold value.

[0043] If the determination in S12 is Yes, the CPU 30A proceeds to S13. In this case, the shift operation permission condition is met. Furthermore, in S13, the CPU 30A sets the value of the permission flag to "1." The initial value of the permission flag is "0."

[0044] On the other hand, if the determinations in S10, S11, and S12 are No, the CPU 30A proceeds to S14 and sets the value of the permission flag to "0."

[0045] When the process of S13 or S14 is completed, the CPU 30A temporarily ends the process of the flowchart of FIG.

[0046] Next, the processing of the flowchart in FIG. 5 will be described.

[0047] First, in S20, the CPU 30A determines whether the value of the permission flag is "1" or not.

[0048] If the answer to S20 is Yes, the CPU 30A proceeds to S21, where it determines whether the P-range operating member 29 has moved from the initial position to the operating position.

[0049] If the answer to S21 is Yes, the CPU 30A proceeds to S22, where it changes the gear position of the transmission 22 to the P range and causes the display 20 to display the P range image 21P in red.

[0050] When the result of S21 is No or when the processing of S22 is completed, the CPU 30A proceeds to S23 and determines whether a single flick operation has been performed on the display 20 in a direction along the first direction display image 21D1 or in a direction along the second direction display image 21D2.

[0051] If the answer to S23 is Yes, the CPU 30A proceeds to S24, where it changes the gear position of the transmission 22 to the N range and causes the display 20 to display the N range image 21N in red.

[0052] When the result of S23 is No or when the processing of S24 is completed, the CPU 30A proceeds to S25 and determines whether a flick operation on the display 20 in a direction along the first direction display image 21D1 was performed twice within a specified time.

[0053] If the answer to S25 is Yes, the CPU 30A proceeds to S26, where it changes the gear position of the transmission 22 to the D range and causes the display 20 to display the D range image 21D in red.

[0054] When the result of S25 is No or when the processing of S26 is completed, the CPU 30A proceeds to S27 and determines whether a flick operation on the display 20 in a direction along the second direction display image 21D2 was performed twice within a specified time.

[0055] If the answer to S27 is Yes, the CPU 30A proceeds to S28, where it changes the gear position of the transmission 22 to the R range and causes the display 20 to display the R range image 21R in red.

[0056] When the determination in S20 or S27 is No, or when the process of S28 is completed, the CPU 30A temporarily ends the process of the flowchart in FIG.

[0057] As described above, in the vehicle shift operation device 35 of the embodiment, when the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel 14 exceeds the first threshold value, the shift control unit 305 prohibits the gear change control of the transmission 22 using the display 20 provided on the steering wheel 14. Therefore, the vehicle shift operation device 35 can reduce the risk that the occupant steering (holding) the steering wheel 14 will erroneously perform a shift operation of the transmission 22 using the display 20 provided on the steering wheel 14.

[0058] Furthermore, in the vehicle shift operation device 35, when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 is equal to or less than the second threshold, the brake device 23 is activated, and the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel 14 is equal to or less than the first threshold, the display 20 provided on the steering wheel 14 is allowed to control the gear shift of the transmission 22. Therefore, there is little risk that the occupant will use the display 20 provided on the steering wheel 14 to unintentionally control the gear shift of the transmission 22.

[0059] The vehicle 10 according to the embodiment has been described above, but the design of the vehicle 10 can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. In the following description of each modification, the same reference numerals are used to designate components that are substantially the same as those in the above embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0060] For example, a touch panel display for operating the transmission 22 may be provided at a location separate from the hub portion 16 of the steering wheel 14. For example, as in a first modified example shown in FIG. 6 , a touch panel display (i.e., operation unit) 40 may be provided on the rear surface of the spoke portion 17B. Compared to the hub portion 16, the spoke portion 17B is more likely to be accidentally touched by the occupant's hand Hd (not shown in FIG. 6 ) gripping the outer peripheral grip portion 18. However, if the shift operation permission condition is not met, the ECU 30 (shift control unit 305) prohibits the ECU 30 from controlling the shifting of the gears of the transmission 22 using the display 40 provided on the steering wheel 14. Therefore, although the display 40 is provided on the spoke portion 17B, the vehicular shift operation device 35A of this modified example reduces the risk that an occupant operating the steering wheel 14 will mistakenly perform a shift operation of the transmission 22 using the display 40 provided on the spoke portion 17B.

[0061] The steering wheel may also be a steering wheel 60 having a structure according to a second modified example shown in FIG. 7 . This steering wheel 60 includes a hub portion 61, two spoke portions 62A, 62B extending radially from the hub portion 61, and a generally U-shaped outer peripheral grip portion 63 connected to the outer peripheral ends of each spoke portion 62A, 62B. The generally rectangular hub portion 61 is fixed to the rear end of a steering shaft that is parallel to the front-to-rear direction in a plan view. The steering wheel 60 is rotatable clockwise and counterclockwise around the steering shaft. When the occupant does not apply force to the steering wheel 60, the steering wheel 60 is located in a neutral position shown in FIG. 7 . At this time, the spoke portions 62A, 62B, which are located approximately 180° apart from each other around the hub portion 61, are generally parallel to the left-to-right direction. When the steering wheel 60 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise from the neutral position, the steering angle of the left and right front wheels (i.e., steered wheels) of the vehicle 10 changes.

[0062] The vehicular shift operation device 35B of the second modified example does not include the P-range operation member 29. A mechanical shift operation switch (i.e., operation unit) 42 for switching the gear position of the transmission 22 between D-range, R-range, N-range, and P-range is provided on the rear end surface of the spoke portion 62B in place of the display 20. This shift operation switch 42 is slidable in a predetermined direction relative to the spoke portion 62B. In the vehicular shift operation device 35B of the second modified example, sliding the shift operation switch 42 changes the gear position of the transmission 22 to N-range, D-range, R-range, or P-range.

[0063] The vehicle shift operation device may also prevent the gear of the transmission 22 from being set to P range when the P range operation member 29 or the shift operation switch 42 is operated with the steering wheel 14, 60 rotated from the neutral position. In other words, the vehicle shift operation device may be configured so that the gear of the transmission 22 is allowed to be set to P range by operation of the P range operation member 29 or the shift operation switch 42 only when the steering wheel 14, 60 is in the neutral position.

[0064] In the embodiment and each modified example, the gear position of the transmission 22 that can be selected by operating an operating unit provided on the steering wheel 14, 60 may be any of the D range, N range, R range, and P range. For example, the P range operating member 29 may be omitted from the vehicle 10, and the gear position of the transmission 22 may be changed to the D range, N range, R range, and P range by operating an operating unit provided on the steering wheel 14.

[0065] In the embodiment and each modification, instead of the display 20, 40, a capacitance sensor that is a touch-operable operation unit may be provided on the steering wheel 14, 60.

[0066] In the embodiment and each modified example, the shift operation permission condition may be satisfied when the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel 14, 60 calculated by the steering angular velocity calculation unit 304 is equal to or less than a first threshold. Alternatively, the shift operation permission condition may be satisfied when the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel 14, 60 is equal to or less than the first threshold and the vehicle speed calculated by the vehicle speed calculation unit 303 is equal to or less than a second threshold. Alternatively, the shift operation permission condition may be satisfied when the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel 14, 60 is equal to or less than the first threshold and the brake switch 24 outputs the detection signal.

[0067] The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-090729, filed on June 4, 2024, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. All documents, patent applications, and technical standards mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document, patent application, and technical standard was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. A shift operation device for a vehicle, comprising: a steering wheel that is provided on a vehicle and that is rotated to change the steering angle of the steered wheels of the vehicle; an operation unit that is provided on the steering wheel and that switches a transmission provided on the vehicle to a predetermined gear; and a switching control unit that prohibits the operation unit from controlling the switching of gears of the transmission when the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel exceeds a first threshold value.

2. A shift operation device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when the rotational position of the steering wheel is in a neutral position, the operation unit is permitted to control the shift of the transmission to the P range.

3. A shift operation device for a vehicle as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the switching control unit allows the operation unit to control the shifting of the gear positions of the transmission when the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a second threshold, a braking device provided on the vehicle is operated, and the steering angular velocity is equal to or less than the first threshold.

4. A vehicle shift operation device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the steering wheel comprises a hub portion which is the center of rotation, a plurality of spoke portions which extend radially from the hub portion, and a rim portion which is connected to the outer peripheral ends of the spoke portions, and the operation portion is provided on the spoke portions.

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