JP2000221038A - Structure of steering sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a compact steering sensor for detecting an absolute position of a steering handle. SOLUTION: The steering sensor includes a sensor board 2 interlocked with rotation of a steering handle, and a substrate 3 rotatably and opposed to the sensor board 2. The substrate 3 has a light receiving and emitting element 10 disposed thereon. The sensor board 2 is provided with a reflector 8 at a position facing the light emitting and receiving element 10 when rotated,
A pin 7 protruding toward the substrate 3 is provided. The pin 7 meshes with the coin gear 6 installed on the substrate 3. The substrate 3 is provided with a shaft hole 3 b for supporting the coin gear 6.
And a conductor 17 is provided around the shaft hole 3b. The coin gear 6 rotates the sliding contact piece 13 that contacts the conductor 17.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of a steering sensor for detecting a rotation angle of a steering wheel or the like of an automobile with high accuracy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of steering sensor, there is a technique disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-84254, for example. Conventional steering sensors are mounted on rotary connector devices such as slip rings and cable reels. The steering sensor has a light emitting element that emits light toward the slit of the sensor board, a light receiving element that detects light from the light emitting element that has passed through the slit, and a number of slits interposed between the light emitting element and the light receiving element. And a case body in which a circuit board and the like are provided.

[0003] In the steering sensor, a transmission type photointerpreter composed of the light emitting element and the light receiving element is installed above and below a slit of a sensor board which rotates together with the steering sensor, and the number of rotations of the slit is counted by a microcomputer. This is for detecting the position of the steering handle.

[0004]

However, in the conventional steering sensor described above, the sensor board is installed on the lower surface of the rotary connector device, and the case body has a vertically long structure. However, there is a problem that the area around the steering wheel becomes large. Further, a steering sensor that detects the movement of the slit with the transmission type photo interpreter and calculates the rotation of the steering handle by a microcomputer is provided when the power is cut off, for example, when the battery is detached from the vehicle body. There is a problem that it becomes impossible to detect.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact steering sensor for detecting an absolute position of a steering wheel.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to attain the above-mentioned object. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sensor board linked to rotation of a steering wheel, and a rotation of the sensor board. Freely, and a substrate arranged oppositely, in a steering sensor, wherein the substrate is provided with a light emitting and receiving element, the sensor board,
A reflector is provided at a position facing the light receiving and emitting element when rotated, and a pin protruding toward the substrate side is provided, and the pin meshes with a coin gear provided on the substrate. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the pin is a projection integrally formed by drawing a sensor board.

[0008] The invention of claim 3 provides the above-mentioned claim 1 or 2
In the invention described in the above, the substrate has a shaft hole that supports the coin gear, and a conductor is provided around the shaft hole, and the coin gear slides in contact with the conductor. By rotating the contact piece.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the coin gear has five or more tooth grooves.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fourth aspect, the sensor board includes one pin, and the pin moves the coin gear within 90 ° when the sensor board makes one rotation. By rotating it.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claims 2 and 3,
In the invention described in 4 or 5, the substrate is provided with a connecting shaft inserted in the shaft hole, the coin gear provided at one end of the connecting shaft, and the sliding contact piece provided at the other end. This is due to the arrangement of the child.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the sixth aspect, the mover has a substantially disk shape, and has a sliding contact projection formed on an outer peripheral portion of a lower surface. A sliding contact piece is provided.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the seventh aspect, the resistor has a plurality of ring shapes, and the sliding contact piece slidingly contacting the resistor is a plurality of leaf springs having contacts. Become.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned eighth aspect, the conductor comprises two conductor portions and a resistor portion, and the sliding contact piece comprises two leaf springs. One of the leaf springs has a contact that slides on one conductor and a contact that slides on the resistor, and the other leaf spring slides on the other conductor and a contact that slides on the resistor. And that

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the first, second,
In the invention described in 3, 4, 5, or 6, the reflector has a plurality of slits formed in an outer peripheral portion, and the substrate has a relative light emitting element provided on one side of the slit and a relative light emitting element provided on the other side. This is due to the installation of the light receiving element.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the tenth aspect, the relative light emitting element or the relative light receiving element is connected to the projecting piece of the substrate via a terminal formed by bending a conductive metal piece. This is due to soldering.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Reference numeral 1 denotes a lower case that is fixed on a base (not shown) of a combination switch of an automobile, for example, with a set screw. The lower case 1 forms a storage section 1a for storing the sensor board 2 and the like.
The lower case 1 has a sensor board 2, a board 3, and the like disposed in the storage section 1 a and an upper case 4 fitted therein.

The storage section 1a is composed of a sensor board installation space 1d in which a substantially disk-shaped sensor board 2 is arranged and a connector installation space 1e in which a connector 5 is arranged, and is closed by the upper case 4. You. As shown in FIG. 1, an insertion hole 1b through which a steering shaft (not shown) is inserted and a connector installation through hole 1c into which a connector 5 is inserted are formed in the bottom surface of the storage portion 1a. A supporting portion 1f for supporting the substrate 3 is formed to protrude from the inner wall of the storage portion 1a.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor board 2 has a substantially ring-like shape integrally formed with a pin 7 meshing with a tooth groove 6a of a coin gear 6, a metal reflecting plate 8, and an attachment 9. It is a plate made of resin or metal. Since the sensor board 2 is formed integrally with the attachment 9, it rotates in the same direction as the steering handle. The sensor board 2 is arranged so as to protrude at the center, and is insert-molded into an attachment 9 made of, for example, an oil-impregnated resin.
The sensor board 2 has a positioning hole 2a for positioning the steering handle to the neutral position when the vehicle goes straight.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor board 2 is a metal disk centered on the axis of the attachment 9, and a large number of slits 2b are formed in the outer periphery thereof. The slits 2 b are annularly arranged at equal intervals around the axis of the attachment 9.

The reflection plate 8 mounted on the upper surface of the sensor board 2 is formed by, for example, attaching a plurality of mirror-like metal plates or the like to the upper surface of the sensor board 2 in a plurality of rows. The reflection plate 8 is
It is made of silver, stainless steel, white light or the like that easily reflects light. The reflection plate 8 may be applied to the sensor board 2, pasted, or integrally formed with an insert.

The sensor board 2 has the pins 7 projecting toward the upper substrate 3 through the holes 2c. The attachment 9 has an arc-shaped notch 9a near the pin 7 so as not to hinder the rotation of the coin gear 6 when the pin 7 meshes. The attachment 9 has a tubular shape for connecting to a cancel rotor of a combination switch that rotates in the same direction as the steering handle.

The pin 7 is formed so as to protrude at a position where it meshes with the coin gear 6 when the sensor board 2 rotates. The pin 7 is fitted into a hole 2c formed in the sensor board 2, for example. Note that the pin 7 may be a cylindrical projection 7a formed integrally with the sensor board 2 by drawing the sensor board 2 as shown in FIG.

The substrate 3 is sandwiched between a plurality of pressing pieces 4a projecting from the inner ceiling of the upper case 4 and a supporting portion 1f formed on the inner periphery of the lower case 1. It is housed in a housing consisting of 1 and upper case 4. The substrate 3 is, as shown in FIG.
It is composed of a larger plate-like ring portion 3c and a protruding piece portion 3d protruding outward from the ring portion 3c. The substrate 3 has a through hole 3a through which the attachment 9 is inserted, and a shaft hole 3b through which a connecting shaft 6b of the coin gear 6 is rotatably inserted.

The substrate 3 is interposed between the upper case 4 and the sensor board 2, and is fixed to the lower surface of the upper case 4.
The board 3 is formed by soldering, for example, electronic elements such as a plurality of light receiving / emitting elements 10 for absolute steering angle, one relative light emitting element 11, and a relative light receiving element 12, which constitute an electric circuit of the steering sensor. This is a printed circuit board on which a conductor 17 on which a piece 13 slides is printed.

On the lower surface of the ring portion 3c, an absolute steering angle light receiving / emitting element 10, a relative light receiving element 12, and a coin gear 6 are arranged. A sliding contact piece 1 is provided on the upper surface of the ring portion 3c.
A substantially disk-shaped mover 14 having a 3 is provided rotatably, and a conductor 17 is printed. Two terminals 16 to which the relative light emitting element 11 is soldered and a plurality of terminals 15 are soldered to the lower surface of the protruding piece 3d, and the elastic locking pieces 5a of the connector 5 are locked. .

The coin gear 6 is a gear for transmitting the rotation of the sensor board 2, which is interlocked with the rotation of the steering handle in the same direction, to the movable element 14 by reducing the rotation. The coin gear 6 is, as shown in FIG.
And a connecting shaft 6b which is inserted into the shaft hole 3b and axially engages with the shaft stopper hole 14a of the movable member 14 is integrally formed. When the sensor board 2 makes one rotation around the shaft hole 3b, the coin gear 6 and the mover 14 are rotated by 1/6 (60
°) rotate.

The connecting shaft 6b is a shaft or a cylindrical shaft formed integrally with the coin gear 6 as shown in FIG. The connecting shaft 6b is rotatably supported by a shaft hole 3b of the base plate 3 to rotate the coin gear 6 and the mover 14 in the same manner. The connecting shaft 6b may be formed integrally with the mover 14, or may be formed as a separate member. The connecting shaft 6b may be formed in a shaft hole, and the shaft stopper hole 14a may be formed relatively to a shaft rod.

The upper case 4 is provided so as to cover the substrate 3 and has a hole 4b through which the attachment 9 is inserted at the center. On the inner ceiling surface of the upper case 4,
As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of the pressing pieces 4a are formed radially from the periphery of the hole 4b. The upper case 4 has a plurality of claws 4c formed on the outer periphery thereof, and the claws 4c are engaged with the locking holes 1g of the lower case 1 to be assembled to the lower case 1 with one touch.

The light receiving / emitting element 10 for absolute steering angle is, for example, a photo sensor of the type shown in FIG. 8 or FIG.
A desired number is provided at a desired position on the lower surface of the substrate 3 facing the reflecting plate 8 of the rotating sensor board 2. The light receiving / emitting element 10 for absolute steering angle shown in FIG. 8 is a mini-reflection type photo sensor, and includes a package 10a having two storage sections 10b and 10c, and a light emitting element 10d disposed in the storage section 10b. Light receiving element 10 disposed in the storage section 10c
e, a lead 10f connected to the light emitting element 10d,
The lead 10g is connected to the light receiving element 10e.
The light emitting element 10d and the light receiving element 10e are
b, 10c, and sealed with a filler 10h such as an epoxy resin for cutting visible light.

The other type of light receiving / emitting element 10 for absolute steering angle shown in FIG. 9 is a mounting hole 10i for mounting the light emitting element 10k and the light receiving element 10m toward the center of the reflection plate 8 of the sensor board 2. This is a reflection type photo sensor including a housing 10n in which a hole 10j is formed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 5 has a terminal 15 soldered to the projecting piece 3d of the substrate 3 inserted therein, and is fixed to the lower surface of the projecting piece 3d by an elastic locking piece 5a. .
A terminal 16 having one end soldered to the substrate 3, a relative light emitting element 11 soldered to the other end of the terminal 16, and a position facing the relative light emitting element 11 are provided on the lower surface of the projecting piece 3d. The relative light receiving element 12 is soldered. Between the relative light emitting element 11 and the relative light receiving element 12, a slit 2b of the sensor board 2 interlocked with the rotation of the steering handle is arranged.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the movable element 14 has a plurality of arc-shaped sliding contact protrusions 14b protruding from a peripheral end of a lower surface thereof, and two sliding contact protrusions 14b are provided in the sliding contact protrusions 14b. A contact piece 13 is provided. The sliding contact protrusion 14b slides on the board surface of the substrate 3 around the conductor 17 when the mover 14 rotates.
The sliding contact projection 14b is formed with a sliding contact piece 13 formed inside the sliding contact projection 14b.
To prevent an external force greater than a predetermined value from being applied.

The sliding contact piece 13 comprises, for example, two leaf springs 13a and 13b. Each of the leaf springs 13a and 13b is provided with a conductor 17 arranged in a triple circle around the shaft hole 3b of the substrate 3.
Contacts 13c, 13d, 13e, 13f
It has. The leaf springs 13a and 13b are fixed to the mover 14 with, for example, two screws or the like as shown in FIG. The conductor 17 is a conductor 17 arranged in a triple ring shape.
a, a resistor portion 17b, and a conductor portion 17c.

The contact 13c always contacts the conductor 17a and slides on the conductor 17a. The contact 13d
Always contacts the resistor portion 17b and slides on the resistor portion 17b. The contact 13e always contacts the conductor 17c and slides on the conductor 17c. The contact 13f
Always contacts the resistor portion 17b and slides on the resistor portion 17b.

The contacts 13c, 13d, 13e, 13f
Is composed of a large number of brushes welded to the tips of the leaf springs 13a and 13b, for example. The contact 13c is a leaf spring 13a,
It may be a plate-like member integrally formed with 13b, and its shape is not particularly limited.

The embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, and operates as follows. When the vehicle is traveling straight, the sensor board 2 is in the neutral position, and the light from the light emitting element 10d of the light receiving / emitting element 10 for absolute steering angle is reflected by the reflecting plate 8 to change the neutral position to the light receiving element 10e.
This state can be detected by receiving the light at.
Further, the steering angle of the steering wheel can be accurately determined by detecting the light received from the relative light emitting element 11 through the slit 2b of the sensor board 2 by the relative light receiving element 12.

For example, when the steering wheel is rotated, the slit 2b of the sensor board 2 rotates together with the steering handle. Many slits 2
b indicates that the relative light emitting element 11 generates a pulse signal proportional to the rotation of the steering wheel by passing between the relative light emitting element 11 and the relative light receiving element 12, and detects the rotation angle of the steering wheel. Can be.

When the steering handle rotates, the pin 7 rotates together with the sensor board 2 in the same direction. When the pin 7 meshes with the tooth groove 6a of the coin gear 6, the coin gear 6
Rotates the movable element 14 at a reduced speed around the connecting shaft 6b in the left direction of the arrow B.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the steering wheel is rotated one turn to the right in the direction of arrow A, the sensor board 2
And the pin 7 rotates the same in the direction of arrow A. The pin 7
Rotates the coin gear 6 by 60 degrees in the left direction of the arrow B when meshing with the tooth groove 6a of the coin gear 6. The reflection plate 8 passes below the light receiving / emitting element 10 for absolute steering angle disposed on the substrate 3 so that the light receiving element 10e generates a pulse signal proportional to the rotation of the steering handle, and the rotation speed of the steering handle. And the rotation angle can be detected.

The steering sensor of the present invention comprises a first steering comprising a reflector 8 provided on a rotating sensor board 2 and a light receiving / emitting element 10 for absolute steering angle provided on a substrate 3 which is a fixed body, and a slit 2b. And a second steering sensor comprising a relative light emitting element 11 installed below the slit 2b and a relative light receiving element 12 installed above the slit 2b.

For example, even if power supply from a vehicle-mounted battery is cut off and power is supplied again, the first steering sensor rotates the movable element 14 by about half a rotation with respect to two rotations of the steering handle or the sensor board 2. (120
°), it is possible to absolutely detect whether the steering wheel has turned left or right once or twice.

Further, the rotation position of the steering wheel can be accurately and absolutely detected by the second steering sensor including the sensor board 2, the relative light emitting element 11 and the relative light receiving element 12.

[0044]

The present invention has the following effects. The invention according to claim 1 is a steering sensor including a sensor board interlocked with rotation of a steering handle, and a board rotatably and opposed to the sensor board, wherein the board is provided with a light emitting / receiving element. The sensor board has a reflector disposed at a position facing the light emitting and receiving element when rotated, and includes a pin protruding toward the substrate, wherein the pin is mounted on the substrate. By meshing with the gear, the position of the steering handle can be accurately detected.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the pins are formed as projections integrally formed by drawing a sensor board, thereby reducing the number of parts and the number of assembling steps, thereby reducing costs. Can be reduced.

The invention of claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2.
In the invention described in the above, the substrate has a shaft hole that supports the coin gear, and a conductor is provided around the shaft hole, and the coin gear slides in contact with the conductor. By rotating the contact piece, the rotation speed and rotation angle of the steering handle can be detected with high accuracy.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the third aspect, the coin gear has five or more tooth grooves, so that the coin gear is shifted leftward and rightward from the forward position of the vehicle by two. It is possible to provide a steering sensor including a coin gear that rotates less than one rotation with respect to the rotating steering handle. This makes it possible to always clarify whether the steering wheel is at the left or right first rotation position or the second rotation position.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the fourth aspect, the sensor board includes one pin, and the pin moves the coin gear within 90 ° when the sensor board makes one rotation. By rotating the steering wheel, it is possible to accurately detect the rotational position of the steering wheel that makes two left and right rotations from the forward position of the vehicle.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect,
In the invention described in 4 or 5, the substrate is provided with a connecting shaft inserted in the shaft hole, the coin gear provided at one end of the connecting shaft, and the sliding contact piece provided at the other end. The provision of the armature allows the sliding contact piece to rotate at a reduced speed with respect to the sensor board, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the steering rotation angle.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the sixth aspect, the movable element has a substantially disk shape, and has a sliding contact projection formed on an outer peripheral portion of a lower surface. By disposing the sliding contact piece, it is possible to prevent an external force more than desired from being applied to the sliding contact piece and to improve the slidability of the sliding contact piece.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the seventh aspect, the resistor has a plurality of ring shapes, and the sliding contact piece slidingly contacting the resistor is a plurality of leaf springs having contacts. It is easy to detect how many rotations the steering wheel has made from the forward position.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eighth aspect, the conductor comprises two conductor portions and a resistor portion, and the sliding contact piece comprises two leaf springs. One of the leaf springs has a contact that slides on one conductor and a contact that slides on the resistor, and the other leaf spring slides on the other conductor and a contact that slides on the resistor. With this arrangement, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and the number of assembling steps, thereby reducing costs and downsizing of the mover.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the first, second,
In the invention described in 3, 4, 5, or 6, the reflector has a plurality of slits formed in an outer peripheral portion, and the substrate has a relative light emitting element provided on one side of the slit and a relative light emitting element provided on the other side. By providing the light receiving element, the accuracy of the steering sensor can be further improved.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the tenth aspect, the relative light emitting element or the relative light receiving element is connected to the projecting piece of the substrate via a terminal formed by bending a conductive metal piece. By soldering, the relative light emitting element and the relative light receiving element can be easily arranged at desired positions.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a drawing showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is an exploded perspective view showing an outline.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention and is an explanatory diagram.

FIG. 3 is a drawing showing an embodiment of the present invention and is an enlarged sectional view of a main part.

FIG. 4 is a drawing showing an embodiment of the present invention and is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a main part.

FIG. 5 is a drawing showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is an enlarged bottom view of a mover.

FIG. 6 is a drawing showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is an explanatory view showing a relationship between a mover and a pin.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a drawing showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is an enlarged sectional view of a light receiving / emitting element for an absolute steering angle.

FIG. 9 is a drawing showing another embodiment of the present invention, and is an enlarged sectional view of a light receiving / emitting element for an absolute steering angle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Sensor Board 2b Slit 3 Substrate 3b Shaft Hole 3d Protruding Piece 6 Coin Gear 6a Tooth Groove 6b Connecting Shaft 7 Pin 8 Reflector 10 Light Emitting Element 11 Relative Light Emitting Element 13 Sliding Contact Piece 13a, 13b Leaf Spring 13c, 13d , 13e, 13f Contact 14 Mover 14b Sliding contact 16 Terminal 17 Conductor 17a, 17c Conductor 17b Resistor

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A steering sensor comprising: a sensor board (2) interlocked with rotation of a steering handle; and a board (3) rotatably and opposed to the sensor board (2). 3) disposing a light receiving and emitting element (10), and the sensor board (2) is provided with a reflector (8) at a position facing the light receiving and emitting element (10) when rotated, and Pin (7) projecting toward substrate (3)
Wherein the pin (7) meshes with a coin gear (6) provided on the substrate (3). 2. The steering sensor structure according to claim 1, wherein said pin (7) comprises a projection (7a) formed by drawing a sensor board (2) and integrally forming said projection. 3. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the substrate (3) has a shaft hole (3b) for supporting the coin gear (6), and the shaft hole (3b). A steering wheel (6), wherein the coin gear (6) rotates a sliding contact piece (13) in contact with the conductor (17). Construction. 4. The steering sensor according to claim 3, wherein the coin gear (6) has five or more tooth grooves (6a). 5. The invention according to claim 4, wherein the sensor board (2) includes one pin (7), and the pin (7) is rotated when the sensor board (2) makes one rotation. A structure of a steering sensor, characterized in that the coin gear (6) is rotated within 90 degrees. 6. The invention according to claim 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein the substrate (3) has a connecting shaft (6b) in the shaft hole (3b).
, The coin gear (6) is disposed at one end of the connecting shaft (6b), and the movable element (14) having the sliding contact piece (13) is disposed at the other end. Characteristic steering sensor structure. 7. The invention according to claim 6, wherein the mover (14) has a substantially disk shape, and has a sliding contact protrusion (14b) formed on the outer peripheral portion of the lower surface. 14
The structure of the steering sensor, wherein the sliding contact piece (13) is disposed in b). 8. The invention according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of the conductors (17) are arranged in a ring shape, and a sliding contact piece (13) slidingly contacting the conductor (17) is provided. And a plurality of leaf springs (13a, 13b) having contacts (13c, 13d, 13e, 13f). 9. The invention according to claim 8, wherein said conductor (17) comprises two conductor portions (17a, 17a).
c) and a resistor portion (17b), and the sliding contact piece (13) is provided with two leaf springs (13a, 13b).
b), the one leaf spring (13a) includes a contact (13c) slidably contacting the one conductor portion (17a) and a contact (13d) slidably contacting the resistor portion (17b). The structure of the steering sensor, wherein the spring (13b) includes a contact (13e) that slides on the other conductor (17c) and a contact (13f) that slides on the resistor (17b). 10. The invention according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, wherein the reflecting plate (8) has a plurality of slits (2b) in an outer peripheral portion.
A steering sensor, wherein the substrate (3) is provided with a relative light emitting element (11) on one side of the slit (2b) and a relative light receiving element (12) on the other side. Structure. 11. The relative light emitting element (11) or the relative light receiving element (12) according to claim 10, wherein
Is a structure of a steering sensor, wherein a conductive metal piece is soldered to a protruding piece (3d) of a substrate (3) via a bent terminal (16).