Unified Drive-by-Wire Lever for Vehicle Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing drive-by-wire systems in vehicles lack a unified mechanism for controlling gear shift, acceleration, and direction changes, leading to safety issues, such as driver injury during collisions and ergonomic problems like ankle strain from incorrect pedal manipulation, and limited space for other controls due to protruding gear levers.
Innovation Solution
A lever system integrating acceleration and steering functions into a single unit, utilizing a rotary motor, gear shift control, acceleration lever, steering roller, and elastic units to allow finger-based control of acceleration and direction changes, eliminating the need for separate pedals and providing a unified interface for gear shifting, acceleration, and direction control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If separate mechanical connection structures are used for gear shift lever, accelerator pedal, and steering wheel, then each component can be independently operated, but the vehicle structure becomes complex, occupying more space and increasing production costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the gear shift lever, accelerator pedal, and steering wheel into a single integrated lever body, merging three separate control mechanisms into one unified structure that controls transmission shifting, acceleration, and steering functions simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated lever body serves multiple functions: it acts as a gear shift lever for transmission control, an accelerator pedal for engine control, and a steering wheel for direction control, allowing one component to perform the roles of three separate controls
2Ease of operation
If gear shift lever protrudes from console surface, then it is easily accessible, but accommodation space and button disposal space are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the vertical dimension by allowing the lever body to protrude upward from the console surface while maintaining a compact footprint, enabling easy accessibility without compromising horizontal space for buttons and controls
3Ease of operation
If accelerator pedal and brake pedal are manipulated with right foot, then conventional operation is maintained, but erroneous manipulation risk increases and ankle injury occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical pedal system with an electrical connection structure using sensors and ECUs, where the integrated lever body detects manipulation forces and converts them into electrical signals for transmission control, eliminating the need for separate accelerator and brake pedals
4Ease of operation
If steering wheel is used for direction control, then conventional steering is maintained, but driver injury occurs during vehicle collision accidents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the steering wheel function into the integrated lever body, creating a unified control mechanism that eliminates separate steering components and reduces the number of parts that could cause injury during collisions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution simplifies vehicle structure, reduces production costs, enhances safety by preventing driver injury during collisions, and improves ergonomic handling by allowing precise and comfortable manipulation of vehicle controls, while integrating safety features like lane departure warning systems.
Implementation Method 1
a first elastic unit which is coupled to the acceleration lever in the lever body, and provides elastic restoring force to the acceleration lever
Implementation Method 2
a second elastic unit which is coupled to the steering roller in the lever body, and provides elastic restoring force to the steering roller
Implementation Method 3
a rotary motor which rotates a lever body by rotating a motor gear that is fastened to engage with a central axis gear formed at one end of the central axis rod
Data Source
AI summary
A structure of a lever for a drive-by-wire system installed in a vehicle may include a lever body rotatably mounted on a console surface of the vehicle, and an acceleration lever and a steering roller installed in the lever body, such that it is possible to control a change of a gear shift stage, acceleration, and a change of a proceeding direction of the vehicle in a unified manner, and there is no risk of erroneous manipulations of an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal, and acceleration and a proceeding direction is changed using a finger, thereby improving performance in manipulating the vehicle.