JP7534264B2 - Vehicle foot steering device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a foot-steering device for a vehicle that is steered by the feet.

Conventionally, there is known an example of this type of device that allows a vehicle to be driven using only the lower legs, without using the upper legs (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). The device described in Non-Patent Document 1 is configured so that the steering shaft is rotated and the wheels are steered by pedaling back and forth on a steering pedal located to the left of the brake pedal.

Motor Fan "Honda: Techmatic System/Franz System" https://motor-fan.jp/tech/10011054 (accessed April 9, 2021)

In the device described in Non-Patent Document 1, the power transmission unit for transmitting the operation of the steering pedal to the steering shaft is located to the right of the steering pedal, which reduces the space under the driver's feet. However, in order to improve the comfort of the driver, it is preferable to expand the space under the driver's feet as much as possible.

A vehicle foot steering device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a steering unit operated by a driver, a transmission unit that transmits the operating force of the steering unit to the wheels so that the wheels are steered in response to the operation of the steering unit, an auxiliary unit connected to a first connection unit in the transmission unit and receiving an auxiliary force that supplements the operating force of the steering unit, a foot steering mechanism connected to a second connection unit in the transmission unit and receiving a turning command by the operation of the driver's foot, and a support member attached to the auxiliary unit and supporting the foot steering mechanism . The second connection unit is provided on the first connection unit side with respect to a midpoint between the first connection unit and the steering unit.

This invention prevents the driver's foot space from becoming narrower, improving driver comfort.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a vehicle foot steering device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a foot steering mechanism is exposed. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a vehicle foot steering device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a foot steering mechanism is covered with a cover. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a main configuration of a transmission unit constituting the vehicle foot steering device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an operation input unit of a foot steering mechanism constituting the vehicle foot steering device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a first foot operation transmission unit of a foot steering mechanism constituting the vehicle foot steering device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a gear unit constituting the vehicle foot steering device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a second foot operation transmission unit of a foot steering mechanism constituting a vehicle foot steering device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the second foot steering transmission part of FIG. 6 . FIG. 8 is an assembled perspective view showing the assembled state of the parts in FIG. 7 . FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 2 . FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which a plate is fixed to the bracket in FIG. 6 . 1 is a front view showing the positional relationship between a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal of a vehicle having a vehicle foot steering device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1A to 11. A vehicle foot steering device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a device that enables a driver with upper limb disabilities to drive a vehicle by operating his or her feet. This device is configured so that a turning command generated by operating the foot is input midway through a transmission section that transmits the operation of the steering wheel to the wheels. More specifically, the device is configured so that a rotational operating force generated by operating the foot is input to a steering shaft to which the rotational operating force of the steering wheel is input.

In other words, even if a driver with upper limb disabilities drives and operates a vehicle by using their feet, another driver may drive the same vehicle. For this reason, the vehicle retains the normal steering mechanism operated by the steering wheel, and adds a steering mechanism operated by the feet (foot steering mechanism).

Figures 1A and 1B are perspective views showing the overall configuration of a vehicle foot steering device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In particular, Figure 1A shows a state in which the foot steering mechanism is exposed, and Figure 1B shows a state in which the foot steering mechanism is covered by a cover 3. In the following, the front-rear direction (vehicle length direction), left-right direction (vehicle width direction), and up-down direction (vehicle height direction) are defined as shown in the figure, and the configuration of each part will be explained according to these definitions. The front-rear direction corresponds to the traveling direction of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the vehicle foot steering device 100 includes a steering wheel 1 operated by the driver, a transmission unit 10 that transmits the operating force of the steering wheel 1 to the wheels (front wheels) so that the wheels are steered in response to the operation of the steering wheel 1, a steering assist unit 2 that is connected to the transmission unit 10 and receives an assisting force that assists the operating force of the steering wheel 1, and a foot steering mechanism 20 that is connected to the transmission unit 10 and receives a turning command by operating the driver's foot. That is, the vehicle foot steering device 100 is configured by adding the foot steering mechanism 20 to a normal vehicle steering device. As shown in FIG. 1B, during normal use of the vehicle foot steering device 100, the foot steering mechanism 20 is covered by a cover 3. Note that FIG. 1B shows a left shoe 4 arranged to the left of the cover 3.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the steering wheel 1 has a generally circular handle portion 1a and a shaft portion (not shown) that is integral with the handle portion 1a and extends along an axis CL0 that extends generally forward from the center of the handle portion 1a. Strictly speaking, the axis CL0 extends from the handle portion 1a at an angle forward and downward, but for convenience it is sometimes described as extending in the front-to-rear direction. A steering shaft 11 is connected to the shaft portion of the steering wheel 1 so as to be rotatable integrally with the steering wheel 1 around the axis CL0.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the main configuration of the transmission section 10, mainly showing the configuration from the steering shaft 11 to the steering assist unit 2. As shown in Figure 2, the steering shaft 11 has a generally cylindrical shape centered on the axis CL0. A generally cylindrical intermediate shaft 12 centered on the axis CL0 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the front end of the steering shaft 11. More specifically, the steering shaft 11 and the intermediate shaft 12 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable together and to be movable relative to each other in the axial direction via splines formed on the inner peripheral surface of the steering shaft 11 and the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate shaft 12, respectively.

A pair of front and rear pipes (front pipe 13, rear pipe 14) are provided radially outward of the steering shaft 11 and the intermediate shaft 12, centered on the axis CL0. More specifically, the outer circumferential surface of the front pipe 13 is fitted to the inner circumferential surface of the rear pipe 14 so as to be relatively movable in the axial direction. The rear end of the rear pipe 14 is supported by the outer circumferential surface of the steering shaft 11 via a bearing 15. This allows the rear pipe 14 and the steering shaft 11 to move together in the axial direction, and allows the steering shaft 11 to rotate within the rear pipe 14.

A steering column 16 is provided around the bearing 15. A lock mechanism 17 is provided in front of the steering column to lock the steering shaft 11 so that it cannot rotate when the key switch is turned off. The steering column 16 and the lock mechanism 17 move in the axial direction together with the steering shaft 11 and the rear pipe 14. That is, the vehicle foot steering device 100 of this embodiment has a telescopic mechanism 7 that moves the steering shaft 11, which is integrated with the steering wheel 1 (FIG. 1A), in the fore-and-aft direction together with the rear pipe 14. The telescopic mechanism 7 is composed of the steering shaft 11 and intermediate shaft 12, which are splined together, and the length from the steering wheel 1 to the steering assist unit 2, i.e., the fore-and-aft position of the steering wheel 1, can be adjusted via the telescopic mechanism 7.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, the front end of the intermediate shaft 12 is integrally connected to a rotating shaft that protrudes rearward from the steering assist unit 2 along the axis CL0, and the rotation of the intermediate shaft 12 is input to the steering assist unit 2. As shown in FIG. 1A, the steering assist unit 2 is configured as an electric power steering unit having an electric motor, and an assist force from the electric motor is applied to the intermediate shaft 12. The rotation of the intermediate shaft 12 is transmitted to a tie rod (not shown) via the intermediate shaft 18, thereby steering the wheels.

The foot steering mechanism 20 has an operation input unit 21 to which the operation force of the driver's foot is input, a first foot operation transmission unit 22 to which the operation force input to the operation input unit 21 is transmitted, and a second foot operation transmission unit 23 to which the operation force transmitted to the first foot operation transmission unit 22 is transmitted. The operation force of the driver's foot is transmitted to the intermediate shaft 12 via the operation input unit 21, the first foot operation transmission unit 22, and the second foot operation transmission unit 23, thereby driving the intermediate shaft 12 to rotate.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the operation input unit 21. The operation input unit 21 is provided at the driver's left foot. As shown in Figure 3, the operation input unit 21 has a spline shaft 210 rotatably provided around an axis line CL1 extending in the left-right direction, and a crank shaft 211 connected to the left end of the spline shaft 210. On the right side of the spline shaft 210, a substantially disk-shaped sprocket 212 centered around the axis line CL1 is provided so as to be rotatable integrally with the spline shaft 210. The spline shaft 210 and the sprocket 212 are supported rotatably around the axis line CL1 by a bearing 213 arranged on the right side of the sprocket 212.

The crankshaft 211 has a vertical rod portion 211a extending downward from the axis CL1, and a horizontal rod portion 211b extending leftward from the lower end of the vertical rod portion 211a. A pedal 214 extending in the approximately front-rear direction is provided above the horizontal rod portion 211b. The horizontal rod portion 211b passes through a substantially cylindrical through-hole 214a provided on the front bottom surface of the pedal 214, thereby supporting the pedal 214 so that it can swing in the front-rear direction with the horizontal rod portion 211b as a fulcrum. A shoe 4 (dotted line) that is sized to fit the driver's left foot is fixed to the upper surface of the pedal 214 so as to cover the entire pedal. The shoe 4 can move in the front-rear direction together with the pedal 214 while swinging with the horizontal rod portion 211b as a fulcrum.

A roller 215 is provided below the rear end of the pedal 214 so as to be rotatable about an axis in the left-right direction. A rail 216 is provided below the roller 215 in the front-rear direction. The rail 216 is fixed to the floor by a bolt 217. The roller 215 moves while rolling along the upper surface of the rail 216 as the driver's foot moves forward and backward. The rail 216 extends almost horizontally from the rear end to a bent portion 216a so as to match the forward and backward movement of the left foot, and extends at an upward incline forward of the bent portion 216a. When the driver pedals the pedal 214 forward or backward, the crankshaft 211 swings about the axis CL1, causing the sprocket 212 to rotate clockwise (in the direction of the arrow R1) or counterclockwise (in the direction of the arrow R2).

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the first foot operation transmission unit 22. The first foot operation transmission unit 22 extends upward from the operation input unit 21. As shown in Figure 4, the first foot operation transmission unit 22 has a metal lower chain 222 that winds around a pair of upper and lower sprockets 221, 212. For convenience, the lower chain 222 is shown in the form of a belt. The sprocket 221 is disposed above and behind the sprocket 212. To the right of the lower chain 222, a base plate 223 is erected to the left of the axis CL0 (Figure 1A), and a bearing 213 is supported on the base plate 223. The base plate 223 extends upward and inclined backward in a side view. A base support 224 is fixed to the lower end of the base plate 223, and the lower end of the base support 224 is fixed to the floor by a bolt 225.

A horizontal surface 223a extends to the right from the upper end of the base plate 223. The sprocket 221 is rotatably supported by a gear unit 24 disposed above the horizontal surface 223a. A tensioner 226 having a sprocket 226a that can move in the front-rear direction is attached to the base plate 223. The lower chain 222 is pressed outward (forward) by the movement of the sprocket 226a, thereby adjusting the amount of slack in the lower chain 222. In FIG. 4, when the lower sprocket 212 rotates in the direction of arrow R1 or arrow R2 due to the swing of the crankshaft 211, the lower chain 222 is driven and the upper sprocket 221 rotates in the direction of arrow R1 or arrow R2.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the gear unit 24 arranged above the horizontal surface 223a of the base plate 223. As shown in Figure 5, the gear unit 24 has a pair of rotating shafts protruding horizontally from the case 240, namely, a rotating shaft 241 that rotates around an axis CL2 extending in the left-right direction, and a rotating shaft 242 that rotates around an axis CL3 that extends in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the axis CL2. A sprocket 221 (Figure 4) is supported at the left end of the rotating shaft 241 so as to be rotatable together with the rotating shaft 241. A sprocket 231 (Figure 6) is supported at the rear end of the rotating shaft 242 so as to be rotatable together with the rotating shaft 242.

A pair of meshing bevel gears (first bevel gear, second bevel gear) are housed inside the case 240. The first bevel gear is supported on the right end of the rotating shaft 241 so as to be rotatable integrally with the rotating shaft 241, and the second bevel gear is supported on the front end of the rotating shaft 242 so as to be rotatable integrally with the rotating shaft 242. When the sprocket 221 rotates in the direction of arrow R1 or arrow R2 due to the torque input from the first foot operation transmission unit 22 (Figure 4), the rotation is transmitted to the sprocket 231 via the pair of bevel gears, and the sprocket 231 rotates in the direction of arrow R1 or arrow R2.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the second foot operation transmission unit 23. The second foot operation transmission unit 23 is provided above and to the right rear of the first foot operation transmission unit 22. As shown in Figure 6, the second foot operation transmission unit 23 has a metal upper chain 233 that winds around a pair of upper and lower sprockets 231, 232. For convenience, the upper chain 233 is shown in the form of a belt. A roughly plate-shaped bracket 234 extending in the up, down, left and right directions is disposed behind the gear unit 24. The bracket 234 has a bottom plate portion 234a bent backward from its lower end. The bottom plate portion 234a is interposed between the horizontal surface 223a (Figure 3) of the base plate 223 and the case 240 of the gear unit 24, and the gear unit 24 is supported via the bracket 234 (bottom plate portion 234a).

The rotating shaft 242 (Fig. 5) of the gear unit 24 passes through the right end of the bracket 234 and protrudes rearward, with the sprocket 231 supported on the protruding part. An idler gear 235 is rotatably supported above the sprocket 231 on the bracket 234. Furthermore, a tensioner 236 having a sprocket 236a that can move left and right is attached to the left end of the bracket 234 at approximately the same height as the sprocket 231. The upper chain 233 is pressed outward (leftward) by the movement of the sprocket 236a, thereby adjusting the amount of slack in the upper chain 233. Therefore, the upper chain 233 is arranged to wind not only around the upper and lower sprockets 231 and 232, but also around the idler gear 235 and sprocket 236a together.

The rotation of the sprocket 231 input through the gear unit 24 is transmitted to the sprocket 232 through the upper chain 233. FIG. 6 shows the intermediate shaft 12 (FIG. 2) penetrating the upper part of the bracket 234 and protruding rearward. The sprocket 232 is provided around the intermediate shaft 12 so as to be rotatable integrally with the intermediate shaft 12. More specifically, the intermediate shaft 12 extends along the axis CL0, and the sprocket 232 is disposed between the sprockets 231 and 236a in the left-right direction, i.e., in the left-right central portion of the bracket 234, and above the idler gear 235, so as to be rotatable about the axis CL0.

A stay 234b is provided on the right end of the bracket 234 at approximately the same height as the intermediate shaft 12, protruding toward the rear. A cover 3 (FIG. 1B) is provided on the right outer side of the stay 234b. The stay 234b may be provided on the left end of the bracket 234 instead of the right end, or on both the left and right ends of the bracket 234. A plurality of collars 26, which are separate from the bracket 234, are attached to the rear surface of the bracket 234 around the sprocket 232 via bolts 26a (see FIG. 10). The collars 26 are provided above the upper chain 233 and on both the left and right sides of the axis CL0, and below the upper chain 233 and on both the left and right sides of the axis CL0. As shown in FIG. 10, the bolts 26a pass through the plate 130 and the collars 26 and are screwed into the bracket 234.

Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of the second foot operation transmission unit 23, particularly showing the configuration of the parts around the sprocket 232. Figure 8 is an assembled perspective view showing the assembled state of the parts in Figure 7, and Figure 9 is an enlarged view of the main parts in Figure 2 corresponding to Figure 8. Note that the bracket 234 is omitted from Figure 7.

As shown in FIG. 9, a circular ring portion 2a is provided at the rear end of the steering assist unit 2, with the axis CL0 at its center. A holder 27 is press-fitted onto the outer circumferential surface of the circular ring portion 2a. The holder 27 has a substantially ring-shaped plate portion 270 extending radially outward from its rear end, and a bracket 234 is fixed to the rear surface of the plate portion 270 via a bolt 270a, as shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 7, a spline 12a is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate shaft 12, extending a predetermined distance from the rear of the circular ring portion 2a to the rear end of the intermediate shaft 12. A pair of inverted blocks 28 having spline grooves that engage with the spline 12a are attached to the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate shaft 12.

The outer peripheral surface of each block 28 is provided with a substantially rectangular recess 28a for mounting the key block 281, a substantially arcuate groove 28b for mounting the band 282, and a pair of substantially arcuate front and rear grooves 28c for mounting the pair of front and rear snap rings 283. The inner peripheral surface of the sprocket 232 is provided with a pair of recesses 232a corresponding to the key block 281. The band 282 is composed of a substantially ring-shaped metal hose clip that expands in diameter when a clamping force is applied to the pair of gripping portions 282a and contracts in diameter due to elastic deformation when the clamping force is removed.

The sprocket 232 is attached to the intermediate shaft 12 as follows. First, a pair of upper and lower blocks 28 are engaged and attached to the splines 12a on the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate shaft 12, and then one snap ring 283 is inserted from the rear along the intermediate shaft 12 and engaged with the front groove 28c. Next, a key block 281 is fitted into each of the recesses 28a of the pair of upper and lower blocks 28. In this state, the sprocket 232 is inserted from the rear along the intermediate shaft 12 until it abuts against the rear end surface of the front snap ring 283. At this time, the pair of key blocks 281 are fitted into the recesses 232a of the sprocket 232.

Then, the other snap ring 283 is inserted from the rear along the intermediate shaft 12 and engaged with the rear groove 28c. This fixes the sprocket 232 to the intermediate shaft 12 via the block 28 and the key block 281. At this time, the axial position of the sprocket 232 is constrained by the pair of front and rear snap rings 283. Finally, a band 282 is inserted from the rear along the intermediate shaft 12, and then the band 282 is engaged with the groove 28b, fastening the pair of blocks 28 together with the band 282. Note that since the block 28 is constrained by the inner peripheral surface of the sprocket 232, the band 282 can be omitted.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the sprocket 232 is located at a predetermined position a predetermined distance behind the rear end surface of the bracket 234. In other words, the block 28 is engaged across the front end of the spline 12a of the intermediate shaft 12 so that the sprocket 232 is located at a predetermined axial position. The sprocket 232 is located near the steering assist unit 2, but is fixed without welding or other means. This prevents the heat from welding from affecting the steering assist unit 2, which has various sensors and requires careful handling. Note that the sprocket 232 is not required in a normal vehicle steering device, and in this case, the front pipe 13 shown in Figure 9 is extended forward and fitted into the annular portion 2a.

Figure 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which a plate 130 extending in the up, down, left and right directions is fixed to the rear of the bracket 234. As shown in Figure 10, the plate 130 is connected to the rear of the bracket 234 by bolts 26a via collars 26 (Figure 6) at four circumferential locations. As a result, as shown in Figure 9, the sprocket 232 is positioned in a gap SP of a predetermined length between the bracket 234 and the plate 130 facing the rear end surface of the annular portion 2a. As a result, as shown in Figure 10, the upper chain 233 can be wound around the sprocket 232 without interfering with the bracket 234 and the plate 130.

As shown in FIG. 9, a substantially circular through hole 130a is opened in the plate 130, centered on the axis CL0, and the front end of the front pipe 13 is joined by welding to the edge of the through hole 130a. The forward movement of the rear pipe 14 via the telescopic mechanism 7 (FIG. 2) is restricted by the front end of the rear pipe 14 (more specifically, the retainer at the front end) abutting against the rear surface of the plate 130.

2, the axial position P0 is the intermediate position between the rear end (connection position P1) of the intermediate shaft 12 to which the steering assist unit 2 is connected and the mounting portion (mounting position P2) of the steering wheel 1. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the sprocket 232 is disposed at an intervention position P3 forward (toward the steering assist unit) of the intermediate position P0, more specifically, in a gap SP facing the rear end surface of the bracket 234 supported by the steering assist unit 2. The foot steering mechanism 20 (FIG. 1A) is provided below the sprocket 232, but by disposing the sprocket 232 immediately behind the steering assist unit 2, the foot steering mechanism 20 can be disposed on the front side of the vehicle. For example, it can be disposed at the forefront within a range that does not interfere with the steering assist unit 2. Therefore, although the provision of the foot steering mechanism 20 narrows the space under the driver's feet, the degree of narrowing is suppressed, improving the comfort of the driver.

A brake pedal and an accelerator pedal are provided on the right side of the foot steering mechanism 20. FIG. 11 is a front view showing the positional relationship between the brake pedal 101 and the accelerator pedal 102. As shown in FIG. 1A, in this embodiment, the foot steering mechanism 20 covered by the cover 3 is provided below the axis CL0 that passes through the center of the steering wheel 1 and extends in the approximately front-rear direction. Therefore, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 11, the positions of the brake pedal 101 and the accelerator pedal 102 are each moved to the right from their positions in a vehicle having a normal vehicle steering device. This allows the driver to operate the brake pedal 101 and the accelerator pedal 102 with his or her right foot without being hindered by the foot steering mechanism 20.

According to this embodiment, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
(1) A vehicle foot steering device 100 includes a steering wheel 1 operated by a driver, a transmission unit 10 that transmits the operating force of the steering wheel 1 to the wheels (front wheels) so that the wheels are steered in response to the operation of the steering wheel 1, a steering assist unit 2 that is connected to the front end (connection unit) of an intermediate shaft 12 constituting the transmission unit 10 and receives an auxiliary force that assists the operating force of the steering wheel 1, and a foot steering mechanism 20 that is connected to a sprocket 232 provided on the intermediate shaft 12 and receives a turning command by the operation of the driver's foot (FIGS. 1A and 2). The sprocket 232 is provided on the connection unit side of the steering assist unit 2 (intervention position P3) rather than the intermediate position P0 between the connection unit (connection position P1) of the steering assist unit 2 and the mounting unit (mounting position P2) of the steering wheel 1 (FIG. 2).

With this configuration, the foot steering mechanism 20, which is a unique component of the vehicle foot steering device 100, is positioned closer to the front of the vehicle. This increases the space under the driver's feet compared to when the foot steering mechanism 20 is in the middle position P0 or behind the middle position P0 (towards the mounting position P2). This improves the comfort of the driver.

(2) The foot steering mechanism 20 has an upper chain 233 that is driven by the driver's foot operation (Figure 6). The sprocket 232 is a gear around which the upper chain 233 is wound. This allows the intermediate shaft 12 of the transmission unit 10 to be reused, while allowing the intermediate shaft 12 to be rotated by the driver's foot operation. As a result, a significant increase in costs can be prevented.

(3) The transmission unit 10 has a steering shaft 11 and an intermediate shaft 12 that extend from the steering wheel 1 to the steering assist unit 2 (Figure 2). The vehicle foot steering device 100 further includes an extension mechanism 7 that changes the length from the mounting portion of the steering wheel 1 to the connection portion of the steering assist unit 2 (Figure 2). This allows the steering wheel 1 to be moved forward away from the driver when the driver drives the vehicle using his or her foot. On the other hand, when another driver drives the vehicle by operating the steering wheel 1, the steering wheel 1 can be moved to a position that is easy for the driver to operate.

(4) The vehicle foot steering device 100 further includes a locking mechanism 17 between the mounting portion of the steering wheel 1 and the connection portion of the steering assist unit 2 to fix the steering wheel 1 inoperable (FIG. 2). The locking mechanism 17 is provided behind the foot steering mechanism 20, but since the foot steering mechanism 20 is disposed on the steering assist unit 2 side, the locking mechanism 17 can be easily provided without interfering with the foot steering mechanism 20.

(5) The vehicle foot steering device 100 is attached to the annular portion 2a provided at the rear end of the steering assistance unit 2, and further includes a holder 27 and a bracket 234 that support the foot steering mechanism 20 (Figures 8 and 9). Since the foot steering mechanism 20 is disposed in the vertical direction from the occupant's feet to the intermediate shaft 12, it is necessary to stably support the upper part. In this regard, the upper part of the foot steering mechanism 20 can be stably supported via the holder 27 and the bracket 234.

This embodiment can be modified in various ways. Some modified examples are described below. In the above embodiment, the steering wheel 1 as the steering unit is fixed to the front end of the steering shaft 11 that is provided so as to be extendable and retractable relative to the intermediate shaft 12, but the configuration of the steering unit is not limited to the above. In the above embodiment, the transmission unit 10 is configured to include the steering shaft 11 and the intermediate shaft 12, but the transmission unit 10 may be configured in any way as long as it transmits the operating force of the steering unit to the wheels so that the wheels are steered in response to the operation of the steering unit. In the above embodiment, the steering assist unit 2 to which an assist force that assists the operating force of the steering wheel 1 is input is connected to the front end (first connection portion) of the intermediate shaft 12, but the first connection portion is not limited to the above. In the above embodiment, the steering assist unit 2 is configured as an electric power steering having an electric motor, but the auxiliary unit may be a hydraulic power steering.

In the above embodiment, the sprocket 232 is interposed at the front end (second connection part) of the spline 12a of the intermediate shaft 12, i.e., at the intervention position P3 between the connection position P1 of the steering assist unit 2 and the mounting position P2 of the steering wheel 1, and the foot steering mechanism 20 is connected to the transmission unit 10 via the sprocket 232. More specifically, the second connection part is provided in the gap SP between the bracket 234 and the plate 130, but the second connection part is not limited to the above-mentioned one as long as it is provided on the connection position P1 side rather than the intermediate position P0 between the connection position P1 and the mounting position P2. In the above embodiment, the foot steering mechanism 20 is constituted by the operation input unit 21, the first foot operation transmission unit 22, and the second foot operation transmission unit 23, but the foot steering mechanism may be any type as long as it is connected to the transmission unit 10 (second connection part) and configured to input a turning command by the driver's foot operation.

In the above embodiment, the foot steering mechanism 20 uses a metal upper chain 233 that winds around the sprocket 232, but other endless transmission members such as a metal belt may be used. Therefore, the rotating body around which the endless transmission member is wound is not limited to the sprocket 232. In the above embodiment, the steering shaft 11 and the intermediate shaft 12 are configured as the rotating shaft, and the length of the rotating shaft is configured to be changeable by the telescopic mechanism 7, but the configuration of the length change unit is not limited to the above. In the above embodiment, the foot steering mechanism 20 is supported via the holder 27 and bracket 234 attached to the steering assist unit 2, but the configuration of the support member is not limited to the above.

The vehicle foot steering device of the above embodiment is applied to a vehicle in which the driver's seat is located on the right side, but the vehicle foot steering device of the present invention can also be applied to a vehicle in which the driver's seat is located on the left side. In addition, the vehicle foot steering device of the present invention can be applied to various vehicles such as passenger cars and trucks.

The above description is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and modifications, as long as the characteristics of the present invention are not impaired. It is also possible to arbitrarily combine one or more of the above-mentioned embodiment and modifications, and it is also possible to combine modifications together.

1 steering wheel, 2 steering assist unit, 7 telescopic mechanism, 10 transmission part, 11 steering shaft, 12 intermediate shaft, 17 lock mechanism, 20 foot steering mechanism, 27 holder, 100 vehicle foot steering device, 232 sprocket, 233 upper chain, 234 bracket, P0 intermediate position, P1 connection position, P2 mounting position, P3 intervention position

Claims (4)

A steering unit operated by a driver;
a transmission unit that transmits an operating force of the steering unit to the wheels so that the wheels are steered in response to an operation of the steering unit;
an assist unit connected to a first connection portion of the transmission unit and receiving an assist force that assists the operation force of the steering unit;
a foot steering mechanism connected to a second connection portion of the transmission portion and receiving a turning command by a driver's foot operation;
A support member attached to the auxiliary unit and supporting the foot steering mechanism,
A vehicle foot steering device, characterized in that the second connection portion is provided on the first connection portion side relative to an intermediate position between the first connection portion and the steering portion. 2. The vehicle foot steering system according to claim 1,
The foot steering mechanism has an endless transmission member that is driven by the operation of the driver's foot,
A foot-steering device for a vehicle, wherein the second connection portion has a rotating body around which the endless transmission member is wound. 3. The vehicle foot steering device according to claim 1,
The transmission unit has a rotation shaft extending from the steering unit to the auxiliary unit,
A vehicle foot steering device further comprising a length change unit that changes the length of the rotation axis from the steering unit to the second connection unit. In the vehicle foot steering device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A vehicle foot steering device further comprising a locking mechanism between the steering portion and the second connection portion for fixing the steering portion so that it cannot be operated.

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