Patent Description:
A vehicle including an operation lever that allows a manual brake operation has been conventionally known (for example, see <CIT>).

The vehicle in <CIT> is useful because even a driver with a lower limb disability can perform a steering operation with one hand and, at the same time, perform a brake operation with the other hand using the operation lever.

On the other hand, in driving a vehicle such as an automobile, heavy use of a normal brake operation may cause vapor lock, fade, and the like; accordingly, in traveling on a downhill such as a mountain road that requires a frequent brake operation, it is preferable to decelerate using an engine brake in addition to a normal brake.

The driver may utilize the engine brake by operating a paddle shift switch provided on a steering wheel, but while operating the steering wheel with the one hand, further performing a shift change operation with the same one hand using the paddle shift switch is poor in operability, and there is a concern that the engine brake may not be activated appropriately.

<CIT> shows a control device for operating a gear box of a vehicle includes a selector for selection of two or more gear positions and for selection of a parking brake position. The parking brake position includes a first operating region which is adapted to gradually apply a parking brake and a second operating region which is adapted to fully apply a parking brake.

Further control devices are known from <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

In order to solve the above problem, the inventors of the present driving assistance apparatus have conducted earnest studies for a structure that allows even a physically disabled driver to freely perform a driving operation and easily operate a normal brake and an engine brake.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a driving assistance apparatus that allows even a physically disabled driver to freely perform a driving operation and easily manually operate a normal brake and an engine brake.

This object is solved by the subject matter of independent claim <NUM> and/or claim <NUM>. Preferred embodiments are the subject of the subclaims. According to a first aspect of the present invention a driving assistance apparatus is provided, the driving assistance apparatus comprising: a brake operation portion configured to apply a brake to a vehicle, the brake operation portion allowing a manual brake operation by a hand of a driver of the vehicle, wherein the brake operation portion includes a brake operation body and a grip portion configured to be gripped by the hand of the driver, the grip portion being provided at an upper end of the brake operation body, and a first shift-down switch configured to shift-down the vehicle is provided on the grip portion, the first shift-down switch allowing a manual shift-down operation by the hand of the driver.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a driving assistance apparatus is provided including, preferably in a vehicle cabin, a brake operation portion that allows a manual brake operation. Preferably, the brake operation portion is disposed in the vicinity of a steering wheel of the vehicle. The brake operation portion includes a brake operation body and a grip portion provided at an upper end of the brake operation body, and a first shift-down switch that allows a manual shift-down operation is provided on the grip portion.

According to the configuration, even in the case of driving while performing a steering operation with one hand and performing a brake operation with the other hand, it is possible to perform the shift-down operation while performing the brake operation with the other hand, and thus it is possible to safely decelerate while applying an engine brake.

Accordingly, even a physically disabled driver can freely perform a driving operation and easily operate a normal brake and the engine brake.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first shift-down switch is disposed at, in a back face on the non-driver side of the grip portion, a position at which the driver can operate the first shift-down switch with a fingertip of the hand of the driver in a state of gripping the grip portion with the hand.

According to the configuration, while a brake operation lever is operated with the grip portion gripped, for example, an index finger and middle finger of a hand gripping the grip portion go around the back face on the non-driver side of the grip portion from a front face on the driver side of the grip portion, so that it is possible to easily operate the first shift-down switch with fingertips of the index finger and the middle finger.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a first shift-up switch configured to shift-up the vehicle is provided on the grip portion. The shift-up switch allows a manual shift-up operation by the hand of the driver.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first shift-down switch and the first shift-up switch are seesaw-type switches in which the first shift-down switch and the first shift-up switch are disposed side by side in a pair.

According to the present invention, the driving assistance apparatus further comprises a brake lock switch configured to lock and hold a brake state of the vehicle. The brake lock switch is provided on the grip portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the brake lock switch is configured to lock and hold the brake state of the vehicle, in a state where the brake operation body is pushed down to apply the brake to the vehicle, such that the brake operation body is held in a state of being pushed down.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the brake lock switch is configured to lock and hold the brake state of the vehicle when the brake lock switch is pressed a first time, and release the brake state when the brake lock switch is pressed again.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the brake lock switch is configured to lock and hold the brake state of the vehicle when the brake lock switch is pressed a first time, and release the brake state when the brake lock switch is pressed a second time, the brake lock switch not being pressed between the first time and the second time.

According to the present invention, the driving assistance apparatus further comprises a hazard switch configured to blink a hazard lamp of the vehicle. The hazard switch is provided on the grip portion.

According to the present invention, the driving assistance apparatus further comprises the brake lock switch configured to lock and hold a brake state of the vehicle, the brake lock switch being provided on the grip portion, the hazard switch configured to blink a hazard lamp of the vehicle, the hazard switch being provided on the grip portion, and a projection provided between the brake lock switch and the hazard switch.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the brake lock switch and the projection are provided on the grip portion such that the projection is projecting further from the grip portion than the brake lock switch.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the hazard switch and the projection are provided on the grip portion such that the projection is projecting further from the grip portion than the hazard switch.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the brake lock switch and/or the hazard switch is provided on a side surface of the grip portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the brake lock switch and/or the hazard switch is provided on a side surface of the grip portion facing a driving wheel of the vehicle.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the brake lock switch and/or the hazard switch is operated by a thumb of a hand of the driver gripping the grip portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the driving assistance apparatus comprises a steering wheel including a paddle shift switch that allows a manual shift operation. The paddle shift switch is formed by a second shift-up switch that allows a shift-up operation and a second shift-down switch. The second shift-up switch is on one side with respect to a central axis of the steering wheel and the second shift-down switch is on an other side with respect to the central axis of the steering wheel.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first shift-up switch and the first shift-down switch are provided on the grip portion in a positional relationship corresponding to a positional relationship of the second shift-up switch and the second shift-down switch provided on the steering wheel when the steering wheel is in a neutral position.

According to the configuration, the paddle shift switch provided on the grip portion side has the same layout as the paddle shift switch provided on the steering wheel side, so that the driver can operate the paddle shift switch provided on the grip portion side with the same feeling as in the shift operations (the shift-up operation and the shift-down operation) using the paddle shift switch provided on the steering wheel side.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first shift-up switch is on a right side in a plan view and the first shift-down switch is on a left side in a plan view.

In particular, the second shift-up switch and the second shift-down switch may be attached to the steering wheel and/or a steering column in such a way that they will turn together with the steering wheel.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the driving assistance apparatus further comprises a lower portion that includes an operation amount transmission unit intervening between the brake operation portion and a brake pedal of the vehicle. Preferably, the operation amount transmission unit is configured to transmit to the brake pedal an operation force of a sliding displacement of the brake operation portion in a front-lower direction.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the driving assistance apparatus further comprises an accelerator manual operation apparatus that allows the driver to manually perform an acceleration operation.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the accelerator manual operation apparatus includes an accelerator lever as an acceleration operation member disposed at a radially inner side with respect to a rim portion of a steering wheel of the vehicle.

In particular, the accelerator manual operation apparatus may be attached to the steering wheel and/or a steering column in such a way that it will turn together with the steering wheel.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a vehicle is provided comprising the driving assistance apparatus as described above.

According to the configuration, even a physically disabled driver can freely perform the driving operation and easily manually operate the normal brake and the engine brake.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

In the figures, arrow F indicates the vehicle front side; arrow U, the vehicle upper side; arrow R, the vehicle right side; arrow L, the vehicle left side; arrow X, the axis direction of a steering wheel; arrow Xu, the upper side of the axis direction of the steering wheel (driver side); arrow Xd, the lower side of the axis direction of the steering wheel (the opposite side of the driver side).

As illustrated in <FIG>, a vehicle of the present embodiment is a right-hand drive vehicle and includes a brake manual operation apparatus <NUM> that allows a driver with a lower limb disability who has difficulty in a depression operation of a brake pedal or an accelerator pedal with his or her foot to manually perform a brake operation in a state of being seated on a driver seat, and an accelerator manual operation apparatus <NUM> (see <FIG>) that allows the driver to manually perform an acceleration operation in a state of being seated on the driver seat.

Note that the brake manual operation apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment corresponds to a driving assistance apparatus of the present invention.

The brake manual operation apparatus <NUM> and the accelerator manual operation apparatus <NUM> are incorporated into a base vehicle by modifying the base vehicle. The brake manual operation apparatus <NUM> and the accelerator manual operation apparatus <NUM> will be described hereinafter, but prior to that, a description will be given of a schematic structure of the base vehicle.

A driver seat <NUM> and a passenger seat (illustration omitted) are mounted on the respective right and left sides of a front portion of a floor panel <NUM> (see <FIG>) of a vehicle cabin in the vehicle, and as illustrated in <FIG>, a steering wheel <NUM> that is operated in a state of being gripped by a driver seated on the driver seat <NUM> is provided in front of the driver seat <NUM>.

Furthermore, as illustrated in <FIG>, the steering wheel <NUM> includes paddle shift switches 7a and 7b formed by a pair of the shift-up switch 7a for upshift and the shift-down switch 7b for downshift.

In this example, the shift-up switch 7a is included on a rear face of a right-side spoke portion 6a, and the shift-down switch 7b is included on a rear face of a left-side spoke portion 6b.

As illustrated in <FIG>, an instrument panel <NUM> is provided in a front end of the vehicle cabin over the whole vehicle width direction of the vehicle cabin. A center console <NUM> extending in the front-rear direction is provided between the driver seat <NUM> and the passenger seat in the front portion of the floor panel <NUM> of the vehicle cabin. The instrument panel <NUM> and the center console <NUM> both form a part of an interior member of the vehicle cabin, and a front portion of the center console <NUM> is integrally connected to a vehicle-width-direction center portion of the instrument panel <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, on an upper face of the center console <NUM> extending in the front-rear direction, various operation portions such as a shift knob <NUM> for a gear-shifting operation and a start switch <NUM>, drink holders 88a and 88b, and an armrest <NUM> are provided in this order from the front side to the rear side.

Note that each of the drink holders 88a and 88b is formed in a recess shape such that a drink container can be placed thereon, and includes a lid <NUM> that opens and closes an opening thereof. In this example, the drink holder 88b for an occupant seated on a passenger seat <NUM> and the drink holder 88a for the driver are disposed in parallel on the respective left and right sides in an intermediate region between the various operation portions and the armrest <NUM> in the front-rear direction on the upper face of the center console <NUM>.

The intermediate region on the upper face of the center console <NUM> is not limited to being formed in a recess shape as the drink holders 88a and 88b as in the present embodiment and, for example, may be formed in a recess shape as a box portion that houses small items.

As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, a display portion <NUM> of various measurement instruments such as a tachometer and a speed meter is disposed in front of the driver seat <NUM> in the instrument panel <NUM> so as to be visible through the steering wheel <NUM>, an air conditioning outlet <NUM> is disposed above a connection portion of the left side of the display portion <NUM> and the front portion of the center console <NUM>, and a display <NUM> of a navigation device is provided below the air conditioning outlet <NUM>.

Note that an accelerator pedal (illustration omitted) is provided at a position at which a right foot of the driver seated on the driver seat <NUM> is placed, on the floor panel <NUM> in front of the driver seat <NUM> in the vehicle cabin, and a brake pedal (illustration omitted) is provided near the left side from the accelerator pedal (vehicle-width-direction center side).

The accelerator pedal is an organ-type pedal that operates a throttle valve of an engine, and the brake pedal is a suspended-type pedal that operates a brake, both of which are typical pedals included in the base vehicle.

Hereinafter, the brake manual operation apparatus <NUM> will be described.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the brake manual operation apparatus <NUM> is installed on a side towards a front passenger side of the vehicle with respect to the steering wheel <NUM>, here on a left side, next to a driver seat <NUM>. In the embodiment, it is provided in the vicinity of the front side of the driver seat <NUM>, that is, in the vicinity of a steering wheel side wall 85a (see <FIG>) of a connection portion of the center console <NUM> and the instrument panel <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, an upper portion of the brake manual operation apparatus <NUM> includes a brake operation unit <NUM>, and a lower portion of the brake manual operation apparatus <NUM> includes an operation amount transmission unit <NUM>. Furthermore, the brake operation unit <NUM> includes an operation bar <NUM> and an axially supporting portion <NUM>.

The operation bar <NUM> is made of a metal pipe material (a so-called round pipe) having a circular orthogonal cross-section in the axis direction and is disposed in a posture inclined in a front-low rear-high shape. Specifically, an upper portion of the operation bar <NUM> is located at a height at which the driver seated on the driver seat <NUM> can operate the operation bar <NUM> with his or her left hand, at a position in the vicinity of the left side with respect to the steering wheel <NUM> (a position corresponding to a boundary portion between the center console <NUM> and the floor panel in a plan view) (see <FIG>). Furthermore, as illustrated in <FIG>, the operation bar <NUM> extends in the front-lower direction toward the floor panel <NUM> in the vicinity of the front side of the driver seat <NUM>.

A lower portion of the operation bar <NUM> is axially supported by the axially supporting portion <NUM> such that the operation bar <NUM> is slidably displaced in the front-lower direction with respect to the axially supporting portion <NUM> by being subjected to a pushing operation (that is, a brake operation) in the front-lower direction along the axis direction of the operation bar <NUM>.

The operation bar <NUM> slides in the axis direction between a neutral position and a maximum pushing position at which the operation bar <NUM> is further pushed from the neutral position by a predetermined length in the front-lower direction. Note that the operation bar <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> illustrates a state of being disposed in the neutral position.

The operation amount transmission unit <NUM> intervenes between the brake operation unit <NUM> and the brake pedal (illustration omitted) and is configured to transmit to the brake pedal an operation force (operation amount) of the sliding displacement of the operation bar <NUM> in the front-lower direction. That is, the brake pedal included in the base vehicle is configured to operate in conjunction with sliding movement of the operation bar <NUM> in the axis direction due to the manual brake operation.

Thus, the brake manual operation apparatus <NUM> can activate the brake by rotating the brake pedal at a depression amount according to a sliding amount (pushing amount) of the operation bar <NUM> in the front-lower direction during the manual brake operation using the operation bar <NUM>.

Furthermore, similarly to the brake pedal, the operation bar <NUM> is biased to the neutral position, and the neutral positions of the operation bar <NUM> and the brake pedal are associated with each other. Thus, when pushing of the operation bar <NUM> from the neutral position in the front-lower direction is released by the driver, the operation bar <NUM> and the brake pedal are simultaneously restored to the respective neutral positions.

Furthermore, as illustrated in <FIG>, the accelerator manual operation apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment includes an accelerator lever <NUM> as an acceleration operation member disposed in the vicinity of the radially inner side with respect to a rim portion <NUM> of the steering wheel <NUM>.

The accelerator lever <NUM> is configured to be capable of being pushed downward in the steering axis direction (non-driver side) from a neutral position by the user using, for example, a thumb of his or her hand gripping the steering wheel <NUM>. Furthermore, the accelerator lever <NUM> is biased to the neutral position so as to be capable of being restored to the neutral position from a position at which the accelerator lever <NUM> is pushed from the neutral position.

Thus, the driver can perform a pushing operation of the accelerator lever <NUM> between the neutral position and a maximum pushing position at which the accelerator lever <NUM> is pushed by a predetermined length, and according to the pushing amount, the driver can perform an opening operation of the throttle valve of the engine, that is, an acceleration and deceleration operation of the vehicle.

Subsequently, the operation bar <NUM> included in the brake manual operation apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment will be described in more detail.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the operation bar <NUM> is formed by integrating an operation bar body <NUM> and a grip portion <NUM> provided at an upper end of the operation bar body <NUM>.

The operation bar body <NUM> includes a base portion 15a and an inclined portion 15c inclined upward with respect to the base portion 15a, and the base portion 15a and the inclined portion 15c are integrally formed via a bent portion 15b.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the base portion 15a extends in a direction coinciding with the front-rear direction in a vehicle plan view, linearly extends in a posture inclined in a front-low rear-high shape coaxially with the axially supporting portion <NUM>, and is formed with the substantially same diameter along the axis direction. As illustrated in <FIG>, a lower portion of the base portion 15a is axially supported in a state of being fitted in the axially supporting portion <NUM> through an opening 14a open toward the rear upper side of the axially supporting portion <NUM> in a tubular shape.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the inclined portion 15c is inclined in a front-low rear-high shape similarly to the base portion 15a, while the inclined portion 15c is inclined in the front-low rear-high shape in a steeper posture (rising posture) than the base portion 15a and, as illustrated in <FIG>, extends so as to be inclined to the vehicle left side (the center console <NUM> side in the vehicle width direction) as it goes upward with respect to the base portion 15a.

Thus, as illustrated in <FIG>, an upper end of the inclined portion 15c is joined to a position near the right side of the vehicle in a lower portion of the grip portion <NUM>, and the inclined portion 15c supports the grip portion <NUM> from therebelow. Note that the inclined portion 15c has a lower end formed with the substantially same diameter as the base portion 15a, and is formed in a tapered shape as it goes upward.

As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the grip portion <NUM> is provided so as to be inclined diagonally upward toward the vehicle front side from the upper end of the operation bar body <NUM> (inclined portion 15c), is formed in a size in which the driver can grip the grip portion <NUM> with the left hand, and has a rounded shape as a whole such that the driver can easily grip the grip portion <NUM>. That is, the grip portion <NUM> is disposed in a posture inclined in a front-high rear-low shape.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the grip portion <NUM> is formed in a substantially rectangular shape having a left-side face 16a, a right-side face 16b (see <FIG>), a rear upper face 16c (also referred to as a front face) (see <FIG> and <FIG>), a front lower face 16d (also referred to as a back face) (see <FIG>), a front upper face 16e, and a lower face 16f. The left-side face 16a, the right-side face 16b, the rear upper face 16c, the front lower face 16d, the front upper face 16e, and the lower face 16f are formed so as to face the right direction, the left direction, the rear-upper direction, the front-lower direction, the front-upper direction, and the lower direction, respectively.

A front upper portion of the grip portion <NUM> is mainly gripped by the left hand of the driver during normal driving. For example, when the grip portion <NUM> is gripped by the left hand of the driver, a palm of the left hand is disposed so as to cover a front upper portion of the rear upper face 16c of the grip portion <NUM>, and in that state, a fingertip of a thumb of the left hand is disposed at a right upper portion of the left-side face 16a (a section corresponding to a hazard switch <NUM> described later), an index finger and a middle finger go around the front lower face 16d through the front upper face 16e, and fingertips of the index finger and the middle finger are disposed at a right upper portion of the front lower face 16d (a section corresponding to paddle shift switches 23a and 23b described later).

Thus, the grip portion <NUM> is formed in a shape in which the front face of the front upper portion is particularly smoothly curved such that the grip portion <NUM> can be easily gripped by the left hand of the driver. For example, the front upper portion of the grip portion <NUM> extends so as to be smoothly continuous from the rear upper face 16c to the front lower face 16d via the front upper face 16e and is formed in a curved shape (arc shape) smoothly projecting in the front-upper direction in a vehicle side view (see <FIG>).

A plurality of operation switches for the driver to perform various operations while gripping the grip portion <NUM> are disposed on the grip portion <NUM>.

Specifically, as illustrated in <FIG>, a brake lock switch <NUM> and the hazard switch <NUM> are disposed on the left-side face 16a of the grip portion <NUM>.

The brake lock switch <NUM> can lock and hold a brake state when the brake is in an activated state. That is, the brake lock switch <NUM> is pressed in a state in which the operation bar <NUM> for the brake operation is pushed down, and thereby can hold the operation bar <NUM> in the pushed down state. The brake lock switch <NUM> is pressed again and thereby can release the brake state.

In the present embodiment, as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the brake lock switch <NUM> is provided at a position near a lower end in the left-side face 16a, specifically, a position near the rear lower side with respect to a center position in the up-down direction of the left-side face 16a extending in a front-high rear-low shape.

That is, in a state in which the driver grips mainly the front upper portion of the grip portion <NUM> with the left hand during normal driving (hereinafter referred to as a "normal gripping state"), the brake lock switch <NUM> is provided at a position not covered with (not touched by) at least the fingertip of the thumb of the left hand.

Specifically, the brake lock switch <NUM> is provided on the lower side from a section in which the fingertip of the thumb is disposed, and at a position corresponding to immediately under a section in which a base of the thumb is disposed, in the left-side face 16a, in the normal gripping state. The brake lock switch <NUM> is provided within a movable range in which the fingertip of the thumb can move rearward and downward using the base of the thumb as a pivot from a position of the thumb when the driver grips the grip portion <NUM> in the normal gripping state.

On the other hand, as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the hazard switch <NUM> is provided at a position near an upper end from the position of the brake lock switch <NUM> in the left-side face 16a of the grip portion <NUM>, specifically, a position near the front upper side with respect to the center position in the up-down direction of the left-side face 16a extending in the front-high rear-low shape.

That is, the hazard switch <NUM> is provided at a position at which the fingertip of the thumb when the driver grips the grip portion <NUM> in the normal gripping state is disposed, in the left-side face 16a of the grip portion <NUM>. Thus, the driver can press the hazard switch <NUM> more quickly than the brake lock switch <NUM> without little movement of the thumb from the normal gripping state.

In the present embodiment, similarly to a hazard switch (illustration omitted) provided in front of the driver seat <NUM> in the instrument panel <NUM>, the hazard switch <NUM> can blink a hazard lamp (emergency blinking lamp) by being pressed by the driver and thereby can alert people around the vehicle and notify them of danger.

Note that the hazard switch <NUM> is configured to stop the blinking of the hazard lamp by being pressed again.

Furthermore, as illustrated in <FIG>, the hazard switch <NUM> and the brake lock switch <NUM> are disposed at positions spaced apart from each other on the respective upper and lower sides, and a projection <NUM> projecting outward (rightward) from the left-side face 16a is provided between the hazard switch <NUM> and the brake lock switch <NUM> in the left-side face 16a of the grip portion <NUM>.

The projection <NUM> is provided next to the brake lock switch <NUM> at a position in the vicinity of the front upper side of the brake lock switch <NUM> in the left-side face 16a, and is provided next to the hazard switch <NUM> at a position in the vicinity of the rear lower side of the hazard switch <NUM> in the left-side face 16a.

Similarly to the hazard switch <NUM> and the brake lock switch <NUM>, the projection <NUM> projects such that the substantially whole thereof juts out outward (rightward), and has an end face 21a (see <FIG>) in the projecting direction which is formed in a substantially horizontal plane shape (flat shape) in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction.

Outward projecting heights of the hazard switch <NUM> and the brake lock switch <NUM> are the substantially same, while the projection <NUM> is provided such that an outward projecting height thereof is equal to or more than those of the hazard switch <NUM> and the brake lock switch <NUM>. In the present embodiment, the projection <NUM> is provided such that the outward projecting height thereof is slightly higher than those of the hazard switch <NUM> and the brake lock switch <NUM> (see <FIG>).

As illustrated in <FIG>, the hazard switch <NUM>, the projection <NUM>, and the brake lock switch <NUM> are disposed in an aspect of being arranged in a row so as to be inclined in a front-high rear-low shape, in the left-side face 16a. That is, the longitudinal direction of the left-side face 16a extends so as to be inclined in a front-high rear-low shape, and the hazard switch <NUM>, the projection <NUM>, and the brake lock switch <NUM> are disposed in a row along the longitudinal direction of the left-side face 16a.

A lower side 21d of the projection <NUM> and an upper side 17u of the brake lock switch <NUM> both extend horizontally in the front-rear direction and are provided such that the substantially whole lower side 21d and the substantially whole upper side 17u in the front-rear direction face each other in the up-down direction. An upper side 21u of the projection <NUM> and a lower side 18d of the hazard switch <NUM> both extend horizontally in the front-rear direction and are provided such that the substantially whole upper side 21u and the substantially whole lower side 18d in the front-rear direction face each other in the up-down direction.

Respective rear upper sides 18r, 21r, and 17r of the hazard switch <NUM>, the projection <NUM>, and the brake lock switch <NUM> all extend on the same straight line inclined in a front-high rear-low shape, and respective front lower sides 18f, 21f, and 17f of the hazard switch <NUM>, the projection <NUM>, and the brake lock switch <NUM> all extend on the same straight line inclined in a front-high rear-low shape.

Specifically, as described above, the hazard switch <NUM> and the projection <NUM> are spaced apart from each other with a slight gap in the up-down direction, and the projection <NUM> and the brake lock switch <NUM> are spaced apart from each other with a slight gap in the up-down direction. Thus, the rear upper sides 18r and 21r extend on the substantially same straight line with a break at a boundary portion between the hazard switch <NUM> and the projection <NUM>, and the rear upper sides 21r and 17r extend on the substantially same straight line with a break at a boundary portion between the projection <NUM> and the brake lock switch <NUM>.

Similarly, the respective front lower sides 18f and 21f of the hazard switch <NUM> and the projection <NUM> extend on the substantially same straight line with a break at the boundary portion therebetween, and the respective front lower sides 21f and 17f of the projection <NUM> and the brake lock switch <NUM> extend on the substantially same straight line with a break at the boundary portion therebetween.

Note that the rear upper side 21r and the front lower side 21f in the projection <NUM> extend in parallel to each other.

In operating the brake lock switch <NUM> from a state in which the grip portion <NUM> is gripped by the left hand of the driver in the normal gripping state, the driver moves the fingertip of the thumb located at the hazard switch <NUM> in the rear-lower direction to the position of the brake lock switch <NUM> to press the brake lock switch <NUM>.

Here, as described above, the hazard switch <NUM>, the projection <NUM>, and the brake lock switch <NUM> are disposed in the aspect of being arranged in a row so as to be inclined in the front-high rear-low shape, in the left-side face 16a; the respective front lower sides 18f, 21f, and 17f extend on the same straight line in the front-high rear-low shape; and the respective rear upper sides 18r, 21r, and 17r are formed in an aspect of extending on the same straight line in the front-high rear-low shape.

That is, the hazard switch <NUM>, the projection <NUM>, and the brake lock switch <NUM> are disposed along the track of the fingertip of the thumb in the rear-lower direction described above. Thus, the driver can quickly move the fingertip of the thumb from the hazard switch <NUM> to the brake lock switch <NUM>. Furthermore, at that time, the fingertip of the thumb always passes the projection <NUM>; accordingly, it becomes easier for the driver to distinguish both switches <NUM> and <NUM> by touch when the fingertip of the thumb passes the projection <NUM>, and in particular, it is possible to prevent erroneous operations of the brake lock switch <NUM>.

In addition, the hazard switch <NUM>, the projection <NUM>, and the brake lock switch <NUM> are provided on the left-side face 16a in the above aspect, and thus it is possible to provide an aspect in which nothing is provided as much as possible other than a region along the track of the fingertip of the thumb in the left-side face 16a (that is, an aspect in which nothing is unintentionally formed large). Accordingly, an opportunity is suppressed in which the thumb and the like of the left hand of the driver gripping the grip portion <NUM> unintentionally touches both switches <NUM> and <NUM> and the projection <NUM>, and consequently it is possible to suppress the erroneous operations.

Furthermore, as illustrated in <FIG>, the paddle shift switches 23a and 23b are provided on the front lower face 16d of the grip portion <NUM> (the back face on the non-driver side). The paddle shift switches 23a and 23b are seesaw-type switches in which the shift-down switch 23b for shift-down and the shift-up switch 23a for shift-up are disposed side by side in a pair.

The paddle shift switches 23a and 23b are disposed at, in a front upper portion of the front lower face 16d of the grip portion <NUM>, that is, a section near the front upper face 16e, a position at which the driver can operate the paddle shift switches 23a and 23b in a state of gripping the grip portion <NUM> in the normal gripping state with, for example, the fingertips of the index finger and the middle finger.

Specifically, the driver brings the palm of the left hand into contact with the rear upper face 16c of the grip portion <NUM> (the front face on the driver side) and, in that state, grips the grip portion <NUM> such that, for example, the index finger and the middle finger go around the front lower face 16d (the back face on the non-driver side) from the rear upper face 16c of the grip portion <NUM> through the front upper face 16e. The paddle shift switches 23a and 23b are provided at, in the front lower face 16d of the grip portion <NUM>, a position at which, in thus gripping the grip portion <NUM> with the left hand, the fingertips of the index finger and the middle finger of the left hand are disposed.

Here, as described above, the paddle shift switches 7a and 7b provided on the steering wheel <NUM> side are disposed in a positional relationship in which, in a plan view, the shift-up switch 7a is on the right side with respect to a central axis (horn) of the steering wheel <NUM> and the shift-down switch 7b is on the left side with respect to the central axis of the steering wheel <NUM> (see <FIG>).

Similarly to the positional relationship of the paddle shift switches 7a and 7b of the steering wheel <NUM>, the paddle shift switches 23a and 23b provided on the grip portion <NUM> side are also disposed in a positional relationship in which the shift-up switch 23a is on the right side in a plan view (the left side in a front view of the front lower face 16d) and the shift-down switch 23b is on the left side in a plan view (the right side in a front view of the front lower face 16d).

Thus, the driver can perform a pressing operation of the shift-up switch 23a with, for example, the fingertip of the index finger of the left hand in a state of gripping the grip portion <NUM> and can perform a pressing operation of the shift-down switch 23b with, for example, the fingertip of the middle finger of the left hand in a state of gripping the grip portion <NUM>.

Note that the paddle shift switches 23a and 23b provided on the front lower face 16d of the grip portion <NUM> are not limited to being operated with the index finger and the middle finger and may be operated with other fingers, for example, operated with the middle finger and the ring finger or operated with the index finger and the ring finger. For example, when the paddle shift switches 23a and 23b are operated with the middle finger and the ring finger, it is possible to perform the pressing operation of the shift-up switch 23a with, for example, the fingertip of the middle finger of the left hand in a state of gripping the grip portion <NUM> and perform the pressing operation of the shift-down switch 23b with the fingertip of the ring finger of the left hand in a state of gripping the grip portion <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the brake manual operation apparatus <NUM> (driving assistance apparatus) of the above-described embodiment includes, in the vehicle cabin, the operation bar <NUM> (brake operation portion) that allows the manual brake operation, and is characterized in that, as illustrated in <FIG>, the operation bar <NUM> is disposed in the vicinity of the vehicle left side of the steering wheel <NUM> and includes the operation bar body <NUM> (brake operation body) and the grip portion <NUM> provided at the upper end of the operation bar body <NUM>, and as illustrated in <FIG>, the shift-down switch 23b that allows the manual shift-down operation is provided on the grip portion <NUM>.

According to the configuration, even in the case of driving while performing a steering operation with one hand (right hand) and performing the brake operation with the other hand (left hand), it is possible to perform the shift-down operation without separation of the other hand (left hand) from the grip portion <NUM>.

That is, the driver can also perform the shift-down operation while performing the brake operation with the other hand (left hand) and thus can safely decelerate while applying an engine brake.

Specifically, as illustrated in <FIG>, in the vehicle of the present embodiment, the accelerator lever <NUM> and the paddle shift switches 7a and 7b (in particular, the shift-down switch 7b) are provided on the steering wheel <NUM> side. In such a configuration, if the shift-down switch 23b is not provided on the grip portion <NUM> side and the driver also performs the shift-down operation using the shift-down switch 7b provided on the steering wheel <NUM> side, the driver needs to perform three operations of the steering operation, the acceleration operation, and the shift-down operation with the one hand (right hand) while performing the brake operation using the operation bar <NUM> with the other hand (left hand). In that case, a plurality of operations are required on the right hand side during manual driving, and the operability might deteriorate.

Furthermore, although, in traveling on a downhill such as a mountain road, it is preferable to decelerate while utilizing the engine brake in addition to a normal brake, as described above, if the operations on the right hand side are complicated, the shift-down operation using the shift-down switch 7b provided on the steering wheel <NUM> side is neglected, and consequently there is a concern that it becomes difficult to perform appropriate traveling utilizing the engine brake.

Furthermore, the shift-down switch 7b provided on the steering wheel <NUM> side is normally provided on the left side same as the side on which, with respect to the central axis of the steering wheel <NUM>, the operation bar <NUM> for the brake is provided.

Thus, if the shift-down switch 23b is not provided on the grip portion <NUM> side in the operation bar <NUM>, for example, when the driver performs the shift-down operation using the shift-down switch 7b provided on the steering wheel <NUM> side, the driver needs to separate once the other hand (left hand) from the grip portion <NUM> and perform the shift-down operation with the other hand.

During that time, the driver is restricted from manually performing the brake operation using the operation bar <NUM> and thus might involve risk.

In contrast, in the present embodiment, the shift-down switch 23b is provided on the grip portion <NUM>, and thus it is possible to perform the shift-down operation without separation of the other hand (left hand) from the grip portion <NUM> while performing the brake operation with the other hand.

That is, the driver can perform the shift-down operation without separation of the other hand (left hand) from the grip portion <NUM>.

Accordingly, the driver can perform the steering operation and the acceleration operation with the one hand (right hand) and perform the brake operation and the shift-down operation with the other hand (left hand).

That is, the driver can easily manually perform the above-described four operations (the steering operation, the brake operation, the acceleration operation, and the shift-down operation) and consequently can safely decelerate while applying the engine brake.

As illustrated in <FIG>, as an aspect of the present invention, it is characterized in that the shift-down switch 23b is disposed at, in the front lower face 16d of the grip portion <NUM> (the back face on the non-driver side), a position at which the driver can operate the shift-down switch 7b with the fingertip of the thumb in a state of gripping the grip portion <NUM> in the normal gripping state.

According to the configuration, while the operation bar <NUM> that allows the brake operation is pushed down with the grip portion <NUM> gripped, for example, the index finger and middle finger of the left hand gripping the grip portion <NUM> go around the front lower face 16d from the rear upper face 16c of the grip portion <NUM> (the front face on the driver side), so that it is possible to easily operate the shift-down switch 23b with the fingertips.

As illustrated in <FIG>, as an aspect of the present invention, it is characterized in that the steering wheel <NUM> includes the paddle shift switches 7a and 7b that allow the manual shift operation, the paddle shift switches 7a and 7b are formed by the shift-up switch 7a that allows the shift-up operation and the shift-down switch 7b, the paddle shift switches 7a and 7b are disposed in the positional relationship in which the shift-up switch 7a is on one side (vehicle right side) with respect to the central axis of the steering wheel <NUM> and the shift-down switch 7b is on the other side (vehicle left side) with respect to the central axis, and as illustrated in <FIG>, the shift-up switch 23a and the shift-down switch 23b are provided on the grip portion <NUM> in the positional relationship similar to the positional relationship of the paddle shift switches 7a and 7b of the steering wheel <NUM>.

According to the configuration, for example, even a driver who is familiar with the shift operation using the paddle shift switches 7a and 7b of the steering wheel <NUM> or a driver who uses in combination the paddle shift switches 7a and 7b on the steering wheel <NUM> side and the paddle shift switches 23a and 23b on the grip portion <NUM> side can operate each of the paddle shift switches (7a, 7b) (23a, 23b) without a sense of discomfort, and thus it is possible to suppress the erroneous operations.

The present invention is not limited to only the configurations of the above-described embodiment and can be formed in various embodiments.

For example, although the brake lock switch <NUM> and the hazard switch <NUM> are provided on the left-side face 16a of the grip portion <NUM> of the present embodiment, the brake lock switch <NUM> and the hazard switch <NUM> may not be provided on the grip portion of the present invention, or at least only one of these switches <NUM> and <NUM> may be provided on the grip portion of the present invention.

Furthermore, although in the present embodiment, the shift-up switch 23a and the shift-down switch 23b are disposed side by side on the front lower face 16d of the grip portion <NUM>, not limited to this configuration, only the shift-down switch 23b may be provided, and the shift-down switch 23b may be provided at an area other than the front lower face 16d of the grip portion <NUM>.

For example, when the brake lock switch <NUM> and the hazard switch <NUM> are not provided on the left-side face 16a of the grip portion <NUM>, the paddle shift switches 23a and 23b may be provided on the left-side face 16a, not on the front lower face 16d of the grip portion <NUM>.

Furthermore, as long as at least the shift-down switch 23b is provided on the grip portion of the present invention, for example, other switches such as switches for controlling ON/OFF and the like of various in-vehicle devices (an air conditioner, an audio, and the like) may be provided on the grip portion of the present disclosure.

Further, while the present invention has been described for a vehicle where the driving wheel is arranged on a right hand side of the vehicle, and the brake operation portion is provided on a left hand side of the driving wheel with the grip portion being gripped by a left hand of the driver, a corresponding configuration can also be applied to a vehicle where the driving wheel is arranged on a left hand side of the vehicle, and the brake operation portion is provided on a right hand side of the driving wheel with the grip portion being gripped by a right hand of the driver. In this case, preferably, all the indications given above with respect to a left or right are inversed. Otherwise, no changes are made to the embodiment.

Therefore, whenever the present invention refers to a left side, the expression could also be replaced by passenger side. Further, whenever the present invention refers to a right side, the expression could also be replaced by driver side.

Claim 1:
A driving assistance apparatus (<NUM>), comprising:
a brake operation portion (<NUM>) configured to apply a brake to a vehicle, the brake operation portion (<NUM>) allowing a manual brake operation by a hand of a driver (D) of the vehicle, wherein
the brake operation portion (<NUM>) includes a brake operation body (<NUM>) and a grip portion (<NUM>) configured to be gripped by the hand of the driver (D), the grip portion (<NUM>) being provided at an upper end of the brake operation body (<NUM>),
a first shift-down switch (23b) configured to shift-down the vehicle is provided on the grip portion (<NUM>), the first shift-down switch (23b) allowing a manual shift-down operation by the hand of the driver (D), and
a brake lock switch (<NUM>) configured to lock and hold a brake state of the vehicle,
characterized by
the brake lock switch (<NUM>) being provided on the grip portion (<NUM>),
a hazard switch (<NUM>) configured to blink a hazard lamp of the vehicle, the hazard switch (<NUM>) being provided on the grip portion (<NUM>); and
a projection (<NUM>) provided between the brake lock switch (<NUM>) and the hazard switch (<NUM>).