Patent Publication Number: US-2018038478-A1

Title: Rotating operation input device, and shifting operation device using same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of the PCT International Application No. PCT/JP2016/002833 filed on Jun. 13, 2016, which claims the benefit of foreign priority of Japanese patent application No. 2015-153877 filed on Aug. 4, 2015, the contents all of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a rotating operation input device mainly used for shifting operation of vehicles and is disposed close to the driver&#39;s seat in the vehicle interior. The rotating operation input device outputs a predetermined switching signal to the shifting device of vehicles in response to rotating operation. The present disclosure also relates to a shifting operation device including the rotating operation input device. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In recent years, a rotating operation input device, which is disposed close to the driver&#39;s seat in the vehicle interior for performing shifting operation by rotating operation, and a shifting operation device using the input device have been increasing. Reliability and various operations have been needed for such a device. 
     The shifting operation device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No 2009-519855 is known as one of the conventional devices. 
     A rotating operation input device used for such a conventional shifting operation device has detecting means, an actuator and a controller. The detecting means includes an operation body fixed to a shaft for rotating operation, and detects a rotation angle of the shaft. The actuator applies an external force to the shaft. The controller controls the external force to be applied to the shaft via the actuator, and switches the shifting device of the vehicle to a predetermined shift state, in response to the rotation of the operation body. 
     SUMMARY 
     The aim of the present disclosure is provision of a rotating operation input device in which the operation body is retained with stability at a predetermined position even when the actuator is not working, and in the rotating operation, the operation body is positioned with certainty at a desired rotating position. The aim of the present disclosure is also provision of a shifting operation device including the aforementioned rotating operation input device. 
     A rotating operation input device according to the present disclosure has a shaft, an operation body, a detector, an actuator, a first controller, and a click section. The operation body is fixed to the shaft so as to be rotatable on the shaft. The detector detects rotation of the shaft and outputs a detection signal. The actuator applies an external force to the shaft. The first controller outputs an angular signal according to the detection signal and controls the actuator by a control signal obtained according to the angular signal. The click section is formed of a resilient-contact section and a click cam member that is fixed to the shaft. The click cam member has an uneven section on one of an outer side and an inner side. The resilient-contact section makes a resilient contact with the uneven section of the click cam member. The click section applies a clicking force to the shaft at a predetermined rotation angle at the shaft; at the same time, the first controller controls the actuator by the control signal so that the actuator applies an external force to the shaft with a desired amount. Further, a shifting operation device according to the present disclosure has the above-mentioned rotating operation input device and a second controller for controlling a shifting device. The second controller is connected to the rotating operation input device. The first controller outputs an angular signal according to rotating operation of the operation body. In response to the angular signal, the second controller outputs the control signal to the first controller and controls a shifting device of the vehicle. 
     According to the present disclosure, the click section applies a clicking force to the shaft on a constant basis even when the actuator is not working, allowing the operation body to be stably retained at a predetermined position. Additionally, in the rotating operation, the shaft receives a clicking force applied by the click section in addition to the external force applied by the actuator; thereby the operation body can be easily located with reliability at a desired rotating position. The aforementioned structure offers advantageous effects, that is, it provides the rotating operation input device and the shifting operation device including the rotating operation input device with a good feel of operation and various operations. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a configuration diagram of a rotating operation input device and a shifting operation device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the rotating operation input device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view showing the essential part of an actuator of the rotating operation input device shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIGS. 4A to 4C  illustrate an operation force in operation of the rotating operation input device in accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view of an example of an apparatus that employs the rotating operation input device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Prior to describing an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a problem of the conventional device will be described briefly. 
     In the conventional rotating operation input device described above, for example, when the ignition key is in the OFF state, the actuator is not working and therefore the shaft has no application of an external force from the actuator. This causes an unstable state of the operation body and has difficulty in retaining the operation body at a desired position with stability. Besides, in rotating operations, it is difficult to stop the operation body at a predetermined position with certainty. 
     Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 1  is a configuration diagram of rotating operation input device  20  and a shifting operation device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of rotating operation input device  20 .  FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view showing actuator  5  of rotating operation input device  20 . Rotating operation input device  20  includes operation body  1 , first detector  11 A, second detector  11 B, actuator  5 , first controller  12 , and click cam member  3  and resilient-contact section  16  which serve as a click section. 
     Operation body  1  is made of synthetic resin and has operating section  1 A formed substantially into a circular cylinder in the upper section and joint section  1 B in the lower section integrally formed as one structure with operation body  1 . 
     Rotating body  2  is made of synthetic resin and has shaft  2 A formed substantially into a hollow cylinder in the upper section on the side close to operation body  1 , and rotary gear  2 B formed on the circumference of the lower section. 
     Click cam member  3  is made of synthetic resin and has shaft  3 A formed substantially into a hollow cylinder in the upper section, and click cam  3 B in the lower section integrally formed as one structure with shaft  3 A. Click cam  3 B has a plurality of crest (convex) parts and valley (concave) parts alternately disposed in an annular arrangement on the circumference of the lower section. 
     Case  4  is formed substantially into a box, and has fixed shaft  4 A that is substantially formed into a circular cylinder and protrudes upwardly from the bottom of case  4 . 
     The inner circumference (not shown) of shaft  3 A and joint section  1 B of operation body  1  are fixed to each other in the rotating direction. Thus, operation body  1  is rotatably fixed to click cam member  3 . Shaft  3 A has a plurality of locking sections  3 C protruding at predetermined intervals from the outer circumference of shaft  3 A and extending in the vertical direction. Shaft  2 A of rotating body  2  is provided with groove-shaped engagement sections  2 C formed on the inner circumference of shaft  2 A. Locking sections  3 C engage with groove-shaped engagement sections  2 C, so that click cam member  3  is fixed to rotating body  2  in the rotating direction. 
     Operation body  1 , rotating body  2 , and click cam member  3  are thus rotatably fixed to each other, and are rotatably supported by fixed shaft  4 A. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , actuator  5  has coil member  7  on its outer side and magnet member  6  formed into a substantially ring. Magnet member  6  is rotatably disposed in the hollow section on the inner side of coil member  7 . 
     Magnet member  6  of an integrated ring-shape is formed of a plurality of vertically extending magnets. Theses magnets are disposed such that N-poles and S-poles of the magnets are alternately arranged in a circular manner. 
     Coil member  7  has upper cover  7 A, lower cover  7 B, and coil section  7 C having wound coil wire (for example, copper wire). Upper cover  7 A and lower cover  7 B are made of iron, for example, soft iron. Coil section  7 C is accommodated in the substantially ring-shaped space between upper cover  7 A and lower cover  7 B. 
     On the inner circumference of upper cover  7 A, a plurality of upper protrusions  7 D are provided. Each of upper protrusions  7 D is formed into a substantially triangle and protrudes downward. On the inner circumference of lower cover  7 B, a plurality of lower protrusions  7 E are provided. Each of lower protrusions  7 E is formed into a substantially triangle and protrudes upward. Upper protrusions  7 D and lower protrusions  7 E are alternately disposed, with predetermined gaps, on the entire area of a same inner circumference. 
     Both ends of coil section  7 C are connected to power-supply input section  7 F disposed at a position of the outer circumference of upper cover  7 A. 
     When electric power controlled by first controller  12  (that will be described later) is externally supplied to coil section  7 C via power-supply input section  7 F, the upper protrusions and the lower protrusions are magnetized to a predetermined magnetic pole (N-pole or S-pole) by coil section  7 C, thereby an attraction force and a repulsion force are generated between the magnetic poles of the magnetized protrusions and the alternately arranged magnetic poles of magnet member  6 . These forces are exerted onto magnet member  6  as an external force. 
     Further, on the inner circumference of magnet member  6 , a plurality of engagement sections  6 A each formed into a substantially groove is disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction of magnet member  6 . On the outer circumference of shaft  2 A of rotating body  2 , a plurality of vertically extended locking sections  2 D is provided at predetermined intervals so as to protrude from the outer circumference of shaft  2 A. Engaging locking sections  2 D with respective engagement sections  6 A allows magnet member  6  to be rotatably fixed to rotating body  2 . 
     As described above, operation body  1  and click cam member  3  are rotatably fixed to each other; rotating body  2  and click cam member  3  are rotatably fixed to each other; and rotating body  2  and magnet member  6  are rotatably fixed to each other. Therefore, operation body  1 , rotating body  2 , click cam member  3 , and magnet member  6  are united to form a united structure. Inserting fixed shaft  4 A through shafts  2 A and  3 A allows the united structure to be rotatable on fixed shaft  4 A, i.e., rotatable on the shaft center of shafts  2 A and  3 A. 
     First detection gear  8 A and second detection gear  8 B mesh with the outer circumference of rotary gear  2 B of rotating body  2 , and thus are rotatably supported (not shown), coordinating with the rotation of rotating body  2 . First magnet  8 C is fixed to the lower surface of first detection gear  8 A and, second magnet  8 D is fixed to the lower surface of second detection gear  8 B. 
     Among these gears, rotary gear  2 B is the greatest in diameter and in the number of teeth, first detection gear  8 A comes next, then second detection gear  8 B follows in the term of the diameter and the number of teeth. 
     On the upper surface of wiring board  9 , such as a printed-wiring board, first detection element  10 A and second detection element  10 B are disposed. First detection element  10 A faces first magnet  8 C disposed above via a predetermined distance. Similarly, second detection element  10 B faces second magnet  8 D disposed above. First detection element  10 A and second detection element  10 B are magnetism detection elements, for example, AMR (anisotropic magneto-resistance) elements. 
     First magnet  8 C disposed on the lower surface of first detection gear  8 A and first detection element  10 A, which faces first magnet  8 C form first detector  11 A. Similarly, second magnet  8 D disposed on the lower surface of second detection gear  8 B and second detection element  10 B, which faces second magnet  8 D form second detector  11 B. 
     Further, on the upper surface of wiring board  9 , first controller  12  is mounted and input/output section  13  is disposed. First controller  12  is formed of a microcomputer, for example; and input/output section  13  is formed of a plurality of terminal sections connected to a wiring pattern. 
     When rotating body  2  rotates, first detection gear  8 A and second detection gear  8 B are rotated via rotary gear  2 B. As a result, first detector  11 A and second detector  11 B output respective detection signals to first controller  12 . Receiving the detection signals, first controller  12  calculates an absolute rotation angle of rotating body  2 , i.e., operation body  1 , and outputs an angular signal corresponding to the absolute rotation angle. Note that the absolute rotation angle represents a rotating direction and a total rotation angle with respect to a predetermined reference position. For example, when operation body  1  rotates one revolution clockwise with respect to the predetermined reference position, the absolute rotation angle is calculated as +360 degrees. When operation body  1  rotates two revolutions, the absolute rotation angle is +720 degrees; two and a half revolutions correspond to 900 degrees, and three revolutions correspond to 1080 degrees. In contrast, when operation body  1  rotates one revolution counterclockwise, the absolute rotation angle is calculated as −360 degrees. 
     Click cam  3 B, which is disposed on the outer circumference of click cam member  3 , has crest parts whose tips outwardly protrude into a mountain shape or a spherical shape and valley parts curved toward the inside. The crest parts and the valley parts are alternately formed at predetermined intervals. Click pin  14  and coil spring  15  are disposed in case  4 . Click pin  14  is formed into a substantially circular cylinder as the entire structure. Coil spring  15  makes the tip section of click pin  14  resiliently contact with click cam  3 B. 
     The tip section of click pin  14  makes resilient contact with click cam  3 B by urging of coil spring  15 . Click pin  14  and coil spring  15  form resilient-contact section  16 . Further, resilient-contact section  16  and click cam  3 B form a click section. 
     Wiring board  9  is disposed so as to cover the bottom surface of case  4 . Rotating operation input device  20  is thus structured. 
     Such structured rotating operation input device  20  is disposed in the front section of the vehicle interior, for example, on a dashboard or a center console. First controller  12  is connected to second controller  21  of the vehicle via input/output section  13  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Second controller  21  is connected to shifting device  24  for changing the shift range so as to form the shifting operation device. Further, display  22  such as an LCD device, and vehicle sensor  23  are connected to second controller  21 . Vehicle sensor  23  detects various conditions of a vehicle, for example, a speed, and a rudder angle of the steering wheel. 
     Next, the workings of rotating operation input device  20  and the shifting operation device with the aforementioned structure will be described with reference to  FIGS. 4A to 4C  and  FIG. 5 .  FIGS. 4A to 4C  illustrate operation forces generated in the device, and  FIG. 5  is a plan view of an apparatus in which rotating operation input device  20  is mounted. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , on the panel in which rotating operation input device  20  is disposed, letters  25  of ‘P’, ‘R’, ‘N’, ‘D’, and ‘S’ are shown clockwise at a predetermined angular interval in the proximity of the outer circumference of operation body  1 . Similarly, letters  26  of ‘P’, ‘R’, ‘N’, ‘D’, and ‘S’ are shown, too, from left to right in a place above rotating operation input device  20 . Besides, indicators  27  are disposed just above respective letters  26  to illuminate letters  26  by light-emitting device from the inner side of the panel. 
     As for the letters above, ‘P’ represents the P (parking) range; ‘R’ represents the R (reverse) range; ‘N’ represents N (neutral) range; ‘D’ represents the D (drive) range; and ‘S’ represents the S (sport) range. 
       FIG. 4A  shows changes in clicking force in response to clockwise rotating operation of operation body  1  from the P-range the S-range by the click section.  FIG. 4B  shows changes in external force applied by actuator  5  in the rotating operation the same with in  FIG. 4A .  FIG. 4C  shows changes in operation force actually applied to operation body  1  as a composed force of the clicking force shown in  FIG. 4A  and the external force shown in  FIG. 4B . 
     When the ignition key is in the OFF state, actuator  5  has no power supply. In the state, the tip section of click pin  14  is located in a valley part of click cam  3 B with a resilient contact. At that time, as shown in  FIG. 4A , the tip section of click pin  14  is retained with respect to the rotation in the left-to-right direction at the position of the P range by only the clicking force, and external force by actuator  5  is not applied to the tip section of click pin  14  as shown in  FIG. 4B . 
     Next, when operating section  1 A is rotated clockwise from the P-range position, the clicking section applies a clicking force to operation body  1  according to the shape of the cam crest of click cam  3 B. For example, the clicking section produces a clicking force with an amplitude having maximum resisting force +Sf and maximum attraction force −Sf. Thereafter, click cam  3 B is rotated further to the N-range position, then the tip section of click pin  14  is retained. When operating section  1 A is further rotated clockwise, the clicking section produces the clicking force with an amplitude having maximum resisting force +Sf and maximum attraction force −Sf as peaks at each time when operating section  1 A is rotated to the next position from the N-range to the S-range, and a retaining force is produced at each position. 
     Specifically, it is preferable click cam  3 B is structured such that the cam crests are arranged on a circumference at a predetermined angular interval with a fixed distance away from the shaft center of click cam  3 B. Click cam member  3  is preferably formed so as apply a constant clicking force to shaft  3 A with for a constant rotation angle of click cam  3 B 
     In a first state, operation body  1  is retained with a resilient contact at one of the valley parts of click cam  3 B. When the ignition key is operated to put into the ON state from the OFF state, first controller  12  receives detection signals from first detector  11 A and second detector  11 B and detects the rotation angle of rotating body  2 , i.e., operation body  1  based on the detection signals, in the first state. At that time, first controller  12  outputs, to second controller  21 , an angular signal that represents an absolute rotation angle of operation body  1 . Second controller  21  determines that the first state is the P-range state, and illuminates the light-emitting device which is disposed at a position above ‘P’ of letters  26  inside indicator  27 . Thus, the driver can visually recognize that the shift range is in the P-range. At the same time, second controller  21  outputs a predetermined switching signal to shifting device  24 , thereby shifting device  24  is put into the P-range state. 
     Further, at that time, second controller  21  outputs a predetermined control signal to first controller  12 . In response to the control signal, first controller  12  supplies, via power-supply input section  7 F, coil section  7 C with electric power of a predetermined amount so as to be suitable for the P-range. As a result, as shown in  FIG. 4B , according to a rotation angle in the rotating direction from the P-range toward the N-range, a desired external force with maximum Af is applied to shaft  2 A via magnet member  6 . 
     That is, when operation body  1  is rotated from the P-range to the N-range, external force Af 1  by actuator  5  is applied to operation body  1  in addition to clicking force Sf by the clicking section. As shown in  FIG. 4C , operation body  1  undergoes operation force Of 1 . That is, the force to be applied to operation body  1  is increased so as to suppress operation body  1  from being operated too easily. 
     Similarly, when operation body  1  is rotated clockwise, as shown in  FIG. 4C , from the substantial middle of the P-range and the N-range to the R-range via the N-range, clicking force Sf shown in  FIG. 4A  is only applied as operation force Of 2  to operation body  1 . When operation body  1  is further rotated from the R-range to the D-range and the S-range, second controller  21  outputs a predetermined control signal in response to a received angular signal; at the same time, in a position between the R-range and D-range, first controller  12  makes actuator  5  apply predetermined external force Aft slightly smaller than external force Af 1 , for example, onto shaft  2 A, so that operation body  1  undergoes operation force Of 3 . 
     As described above, the clicking section applies a clicking force to operation body  1  at a predetermined rotation angle. At the same rotation angle, receiving an angular signal corresponding to the rotating operation of operation body  1 , second controller  21  makes actuator  5  apply a desired external force suitable for the angular signal to operation body  1 . Therefore, rotating operation input device  20  can be set for various operation forces with magnitude of an external force, an angular range for the application of the force, and a gradient of the external force to be generated. Accordingly, rotating operation input device  20  is applicable to various types of vehicles, such as an RV (recreational vehicle), a family-use vehicle, and a luxury sedan, with no difference in the basic structure of the device. 
     Meanwhile, first controller  12  of rotating operation input device  20  may output an angular signal corresponding to an absolute rotation angle of operation body  1  to second controller  21 , thereby actuator  5  can be controlled so as to apply a desired external force with higher accuracy to operation body  1 . Further, compared to the structure where the rotation angle and the position of the operation body are detected by calculation of a detection signal directly fed from, for example, a photo detector and a magnetic sensor, second controller  21  on the vehicle-side does not need controlling based on complicated calculations so that second controller  21  can have a simplified control architecture. 
     As for click cam  3 B having the crest parts and valley parts that form the clicking section, the number of the cam crest, the width size, and the center position have fixed values for each shape in advance. Therefore, the rotation angle of operation body  1  can be estimated from the values. In the method, however, the rotation angle, since it is obtained with no direct measurement, may have a margin of error. Further, the margin of error can increase with time due to wear of the crest parts and valley parts and the resilient-contact section (the tip section of click pin  14 ) by repeatedly using rotating operation input device  20 . In contrast, according to the structure of the embodiment, first detector  11 A and second detector  11 B offer non-contact detection of an absolute rotation angle of operation body  1 . That is, from not only theoretical but also at a view of temporal change, highly accurate detection of rotation angle can be obtained. 
     When the vehicle is at a stop, vehicle sensor  23  detects that the vehicle is in the stopped state and outputs a predetermined detection signal to second controller  21 . Further, when the ignition key is switched to the OFF state while rotating operation input device  20  is located at any one of the shift ranges, second controller  21  detects that the ignition key is in the OFF state. At the same time, in response to the signal from vehicle sensor  23  that indicates the stopped state of the vehicle, second controller  21  outputs a switching signal to shifting device  24  so as to switch the range to the P-range, thereby shifting device  24  is switched to the P-range. The structure eliminates the need for switching rotating operation input device  20  to the position of the P-range each time the ignition key is put into the OFF state, enhancing user-friendliness of shifting operation. 
     As described above, rotating operation input device  20  according to the present embodiment has operation body  1 , first detector  11 A and second detector  11 B, actuator  5 , first controller  12 , and a click section. Operation body  1  is fixed to shaft  2 A so as to be rotatable on shaft  2 A. First detector  11 A and second detector  11 B detect a rotation angle of shaft  3 A and output detection signals, respectively. Actuator  5  applies an external force to shaft  2 A. First controller  12  outputs an angular signal according to the detection signals and control actuator  5  by a control signal received from second controller  21 . The control signal is determined based on the angular signal. The click section includes click cam member  3  and resilient-contact section  16 . Click cam member  3  is fixed to shaft  3 A and has an uneven section on the outer side or on the inner side. Resilient-contact section  16  makes a resilient contact with the uneven section of click cam member  3 . The click section applies a clicking force suitable for a predetermined rotation angle to shaft  3 A. At the same rotation angle, first controller  12  controls actuator  5  by the control signal received from second controller  21  so as to apply a desired external force to the shaft. A shifting operation device can be formed by connecting rotating operation input device  20  thus structured to second controller  21  for controlling shifting device  24 . According to rotating operation input device  20  and the shifting operation device thus structured, operation body  1  is stably retained at a predetermined position even when actuator  5  is not working In the rotating operation, operation body  1  can be easily located with reliability at a desired rotating position. 
     The description above introduces a structure where first controller  12  is disposed in rotating operation input device  20  while second controller  21  is disposed on the vehicle side. However. the rotating operation input device may have first and the second controllers connected to each other, and the second controller may be connected to the display, the vehicle sensor, and the shifting device disposed on the vehicle side. 
     Further, second controller  21  may be connected to vehicle sensor  23  that detects vehicle conditions, such as a speed, and a rudder angle of the steering wheel. In this case, second controller  21  can control shifting device  24  based on a predetermined sensing signal indicating the vehicle conditions fed from vehicle sensor  23  and an angular signal fed from first controller  12 . The structure above enhances user-friendliness in the shifting operation. For example, suppose that operation body  1  is located at a position other than the P-range when the vehicle is stopped. Even in that case, when the ignition key is put into the OFF state, rotating operation input device  20  switches shifting device  24  to the P-range. 
     Further, rotating operation input device  20  may have first controller  12  only, without second controller  21 . In that case, first controller  12  outputs an angular signal according to a detection signal, and generates a predetermined control signal according to the angular signal, which controls actuator  5 . The structure above allows rotating operation input device  20  to cover the control on actuator  5 , eliminating external control on actuator  5 . 
     The rotating operation input device and the shifting operation device equipped with the rotating operation input device of the present disclosure allow the operation body to be stably retained at a predetermined position even when the actuator is not working, and also allow the operation body to be easily located with reliability at a desired position in the rotating operation. The structure having such an advantageous effect is especially useful for the shifting operation of vehicles.