JP2013112102A - Automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the operability of driving operation by a driver in an automobile which can perform on-spot turning or transverse moving.SOLUTION: An automobile comprises three or more wheels 1, 2 and each of all the wheels 1, 2 has a steering mechanism 4 which performs steering, independently. A driving wheel in the wheels 1, 2 is driven for traveling by a traveling drive mechanism 5 including a motor 6, independently respectively. The traveling drive mechanism 5 is e.g., an in-wheel motor drive device. A joy stick 21 is provided for operating the steering mechanism 4 and performing operation to drive the traveling drive mechanism 5.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle such as an electric vehicle in which all wheels can be steered independently and each drive wheel can be independently driven.

  An electric vehicle or the like has been proposed in which all wheels can be steered independently and each drive wheel can be independently driven. Such an automobile can travel in a special non-normal form that cannot be performed by an ordinary automobile, such as in-situ rotation that rotates around the center of the vehicle body or lateral movement that travels sideways.

Japanese Patent No. 454201

Even in a vehicle that can perform special traveling such as in-situ rotation and lateral movement as described above, steering and acceleration / deceleration operations are performed by a steering wheel and an accelerator pedal, as in a normal automobile. . Alternatively, on-site rotation and lateral movement are performed by automatic operation by operating a dedicated button.
However, it is difficult to perform operations such as in-situ rotation and lateral movement by operations using the steering wheel and the accelerator pedal. In addition, in the automatic operation by operating a dedicated button, it may be difficult to perform an appropriate operation according to the situation.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an automobile excellent in driving operability by a driver, including traveling such as in-situ rotation and lateral movement.

The automobile of this invention has three or more wheels, and has a steering mechanism that can be steered independently for all the wheels, and each of the driving wheels of the wheels independently includes a prime mover. An automobile driven and driven by a drive mechanism having a joystick for operating the steering mechanism and driving the travel drive mechanism.
In this specification, “joystick” is a general term for input operation means that can input both the direction and the operation amount by a single operator touched by the driver, and the outer shape of the operator is a lever shape. Alternatively, the shape may be spherical or flat, and the form on the outer shape is not limited.

  According to this configuration, the joystick that operates the steering mechanism and the driving of the traveling drive mechanism is provided, and the joystick can input the direction and the operation amount with one operator. For this reason, it is possible to perform a driving operation in a non-normal form, which can be performed by independent steering of each wheel and independent driving of each driving wheel, including traveling such as in-situ rotation and lateral movement. Moreover, since it is based on a driver's operation with a joystick, it is possible to perform an appropriate driving according to the situation, unlike the case where an abnormal driving is performed by an automatic driving.

In the present invention, a joystick installation seat to which the joystick can be attached and detached is provided at a plurality of locations on the vehicle body, and the installation location of the joystick can be changed to an arbitrary joystick installation seat.
The position where the joystick can be easily operated varies depending on the dominant arm and physique of the driver. Therefore, by providing joystick installation seats at a plurality of locations and making it possible to change the installation location to any joystick installation seat, it is possible to operate at a joystick position that is easy for the driver to operate.

In the present invention, a plurality of joysticks may be provided, and joystick selection means for selecting a joystick that can be operated from the plurality of joysticks may be provided.
If there are a plurality of joysticks, it is possible to select and operate a joystick at a position where it can be easily operated. Alternatively, when a plurality of joysticks have different formats, it is possible to select and operate an easily operated joystick. In these cases, if inputs from a plurality of joysticks overlap, it will hinder driving. In this regard, a joystick selection means is provided so that only the input of the selected joystick is accepted, so that the operation can be performed without any trouble.

When there are joystick installation seats in which the joystick can be attached and detached at a plurality of locations on the vehicle body, the joystick may include a plurality of the joysticks, and a joystick selection unit that selects a joystick that can be operated from the plurality of joysticks. good. The number of joystick installation seats and the number of joysticks do not need to match.
If there are a plurality of joysticks and they can be installed at a plurality of locations, it is possible to select a joystick that is easy to operate from among many. Also in this case, the operation can be performed without any trouble by accepting only the input of the selected joystick.

In the present invention, the steering mechanism and the traveling drive mechanism include a lateral movement mode in which the wheels are turned sideways with respect to the vehicle body and the drive wheels are rotated so as to roll in the same lateral direction, and the wheels are shared by a common circle. Either in-situ rotation mode in which each drive wheel is rotated in the same direction as viewed from the center of the vehicle body in a direction along the circumference or in a direction along any one of a plurality of concentric circles Or the structure which can take both forms may be sufficient.
If rotation on the spot is possible, it is possible to freely move to a garage, move to a parking space, or change direction in a narrow space or on the road. Even when lateral movement is possible, it is easy to move to a garage or to a parking space. Such in-situ rotation mode and lateral movement are difficult to perform with normal steering operation, but can be easily operated with a joystick.

In this invention, the means for operating the steering mechanism by a driver may be only the joystick, or may include both a joystick and a steering wheel.
According to the joystick, it is possible to easily perform both normal driving and non-normal driving, but during normal driving, the steering wheel is easier to drive because the driver is accustomed to the conventional car.

In this invention, the steered mechanism and the travel drive mechanism have a lateral movement mode in which the wheels are turned sideways with respect to the vehicle body and the drive wheels are rotated so as to roll in the same lateral direction. Either in-situ rotation mode in which each drive wheel is rotated in the same direction as viewed from the center of the vehicle body in a direction along the circumference or in a direction along any one of a plurality of concentric circles Or a configuration that can take both forms,
As a means for operating the steered mechanism, a steering wheel is provided separately from the joystick, and during normal travel that is a travel time other than the non-normal travel that travels in the lateral movement mode or the in-situ rotation mode. An input selection unit may be provided that selects the input of the steering wheel and selects the input of the joystick during the non-normal travel.
According to the joystick, it is possible to drive easily during both normal driving and non-normal driving, but during normal driving, the steering wheel is used because the driver is accustomed to using conventional cars. easy. By providing both the joystick and the steering wheel, the operation can be easily performed both during normal driving and during non-normal driving. In this case, since the steering wheel and the input of the joystick are automatically selected according to the travel mode by the input selection unit, manual operation by the driver is unnecessary, and the operability is excellent.

  When a steering wheel and a joystick are provided, either one or both of the steering wheel and the joystick may be detachable. The removed steering wheel and joystick may be stored in a predetermined place in the automobile. If both the steering wheel and joystick are present, the area around the driver's seat will be narrowed, but if one or both of the steering wheel and joystick are made removable, the unused steering wheel or joystick will interfere with driving and the interior space. It can be avoided.

In the present invention, the prime mover of the travel drive mechanism may be an electric motor, and the travel drive mechanism may be an in-wheel motor drive device.
When the prime mover for driving is an electric motor, particularly when it is an in-wheel motor drive device, it becomes easy to make an all-wheel independent steered vehicle and an independent drive vehicle.

  The automobile of this invention has three or more wheels, and has a steering mechanism that can be steered independently for all the wheels, and each of the driving wheels of the wheels independently includes a prime mover. An automobile driven by a driving mechanism, which has a joystick for operating the steering mechanism and driving the driving mechanism, and therefore includes driving such as on-the-spot rotation or lateral movement. It becomes a car with excellent driving operability.

It is explanatory drawing which shows arrangement | positioning of each part of the motor vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention by planar view. It is explanatory drawing which overlaps and shows the block diagram of a control system in FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the form of normal driving | running | working of the same vehicle, a spot rotation, and a horizontal movement in a planar view, respectively. It is a perspective view and an operation explanatory view of an example of a joystick. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a joystick installation seat. It is a flowchart of the control action of the mode switching control part in the motor vehicle. It is explanatory drawing which shows arrangement | positioning of each part of the motor vehicle which concerns on other embodiment of this invention by planar view. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a block diagram of a control system superimposed on FIG. 7. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the drive format which can apply the motor vehicle of this invention by planar view.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This vehicle is an electric vehicle and is provided with two left and right wheels 1 and 1 as front wheels and two right and left wheels 2 and 2 as rear wheels. All the wheels 1 and 2 are provided with a steering mechanism 4 that can be steered independently. Each of the wheels 1 and 2 is a drive wheel in the illustrated example, and is independently driven by a travel drive mechanism 5 including a drive source 6.

  The traveling drive mechanism 5 is an in-wheel motor drive device in this example, and decelerates the rotation output from the drive source 6 and the wheel bearing 7 that supports the wheels 1 and 2, the drive source 6 composed of an electric motor, and the like. And a speed reducer 8 that transmits to a rotating raceway (not shown) of the wheel bearing 7. The travel drive mechanism 5 includes the wheel bearing 7, the drive source 6, and the speed reducer 8 that are installed in a common housing or coupled together to be integrated, and the integrated travel drive mechanism 5. However, it is installed in the vehicle body 3 so as to be rotatable around a vertical support shaft 9 via a suspension (not shown). The steered mechanism 4 includes a steered drive source 4a made of an electric motor and the like, and a transmission mechanism 4b that transmits the rotation of the steered drive source 4a to the integrated travel drive mechanism 5. The transmission mechanism 4b is composed of a gear train, for example. In addition to this, the transmission mechanism 4b may be a combination of a gear and rotation / linear motion conversion means such as a ball screw or a rack / pinion mechanism.

  This vehicle has a configuration including the above-described steering mechanism 4 in which all the wheels 1 and 2 can be steered independently, and a configuration in which all the drive wheels 1 and 2 can be independently driven as shown in FIG. It is possible to move in the normal traveling mode shown in A) and the non-normal traveling mode which is the in-situ rotating mode or the lateral movement mode shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, respectively.

  The in-situ rotation form in FIG. 3B is a moving form in which the vehicle body 3 is rotated on the spot (rotation radius is substantially zero) with the approximate center of the vehicle body 3 as a rotation. Specifically, the in-situ rotation mode is such that the wheels 1 and 2 are directed in a direction along a common virtual circumference C (that is, a tangential direction), and the wheels 1 and 2 that are driving wheels are As seen from the center O side of the circumference, this is a moving form in which they are rotationally driven in the same direction as indicated by arrows in the figure. Therefore, the left and right wheels 1, 1, 2, 2 are steered in the opposite directions from the straight traveling direction. The in-situ rotation mode can be rotated in either the left or right direction by switching the rotation direction of the wheels 1 and 2 that are drive wheels to forward and reverse.

  The lateral movement mode in FIG. 3C is a movement mode in which the vehicle body 3 is moved in a direction just beside or close to the beside. Specifically, the lateral movement mode is a mode in which the wheels 1 and 2 are turned sideways with respect to the vehicle body 3 and the wheels 1 and 2 serving as driving wheels are rotated so as to roll in the same lateral direction. Although the change from the straight traveling state to the lateral movement mode depends on the configuration of the steering mechanism 4, in this example, the turning angle is not simply increased, but the front wheel 1 in FIG. As shown in the middle of turning, the left and right wheels 1 and 1 are turned in opposite directions so as to be line targets with each other, so that the wheels 1 and 1 are turned sideways. The same applies to the rear wheels 2 and 2. In this way, when the wheels are steered and moved in the lateral direction, the left and right wheels 1, 1, 2, and 2 are opposite to each other when the wheels 1 and 2 that are the driving wheels are rotated so as to roll in the same lateral direction. Will be driven to rotate.

The normal traveling mode in FIG. 3 (A) is a normal straight traveling mode or traveling in an arcuate curved direction, and is a traveling mode other than the in-situ rotating mode and the laterally moving mode. In the normal travel mode, the left and right wheels 1, 1, 2 and 2 are steered in the same direction.

  In FIG. 1, the driving operation system will be described. Seats serving as a driver's seat 11 and a passenger seat 12 are provided in a passenger compartment 3a of the vehicle body 3. As a driving operation system, a joystick 21 serving as a steering means and an accelerator operating means, and a brake operator 22 are provided. Is provided. The brake operator 22 includes a brake pedal and the like, and is provided on the floor in front of the driver's seat 11.

  The joystick 21 is a general term for input operation means capable of inputting both the direction and the operation amount by one operator touched by the driver, and is not limited to the lever type. In this embodiment, for example, the lever shown in FIG. A joystick 21 of the type is provided. The joystick 21 can tilt the lever 21a, which is an operating element, from an upright position where it is in a neutral position in any direction of 360 ° around the entire circumference. It is possible to input an accelerator operation amount (corresponding to the depression amount of the pedal type accelerator) by the amount of tilting (the tilting angle from the neutral position). In this example, the joystick 21 is installed on a dashboard 24 in front of the driver's seat 11 via a joystick installation seat 23 as shown in FIG.

  The joystick installation seat 23 may be provided at one location, but is provided at a plurality of locations in the illustrated example. The joystick installation seat 23 is, for example, at one left and right front of the driver's seat 11 on the dashboard 24 and one central location (the central joystick installation seat 23 is not shown) and a rear portion in the passenger compartment 3a. Is provided. In addition to this, the joystick installation seat 23 may be provided on the inner wall surface of the passenger compartment 3a, the seat of the driver seat 11 or the passenger seat 12, and the like.

  The joystick installation seat 23 may be one in which the joystick 21 is detachably installed, but may be one in which the joystick 21 is detachable. The term “detachable” as used herein refers to a configuration that can be changed between an attached state and a detached state without using a tool. In the case where a plurality of joystick installation seats 23 are provided, the joystick 21 can be attached and detached, and the joystick installation seats 23 can be arbitrarily selected and the same joystick 21 can be attached.

  When the joystick installation seat 23 can be attached to and detached from the joystick 21, the joystick installation seat 23 may simply support the joystick 21. The joystick installation seat 23 is connected to the joystick installation seat 23 as a wiring system. A plug-in connector 25 (see FIG. 5) that switches between a connected state and a non-connected state by attaching and detaching 21 may be provided. When the joystick installation seat 23 merely supports the joystick 21, the joystick 21 changes the installation location in a wired state, or communicates with the ECU 31 (FIG. 2) wirelessly or in a cordless manner. It is assumed that a plurality of connectors are arranged separately from the joystick installation seat 23.

  In FIG. 1, a plurality of joysticks 21 may be provided. In that case, a joystick selection means 26 for selecting a joystick 21 to be operated from a plurality of joysticks 21 is provided. The joystick selection means 26 is an input selection unit that accepts only the input of the selection switch 26a provided on the dashboard 24 in the passenger compartment 3a and the joystick 21 provided in the ECU 31 of FIG. 2 and selected according to the operation of the selection switch 26a. 26b.

Further, a traveling mode switching means 41 (FIG. 2) for switching the traveling modes described above with reference to FIG. 3 by a driver's operation includes a plurality of input operation means 42 to 45 and a mode switching control unit 34 provided in the ECU 31. Composed. Among the input operation means 42 to 45, the first input operation means 42 is a means for setting a switching preparation mode in which the operation mode can be switched between the normal travel operation mode and the non-normal travel operation mode. For example, it consists of operation buttons provided on the front surface of the joystick 21. The second to fourth input operation means 43 to 45 are means for selecting an in-situ rotation mode, a lateral movement mode, and a normal travel mode, respectively, and operations provided on the upper surface of the upper end of the joystick 21. It consists of buttons.
The installation locations of the input operation means 42 to 45 are not limited to the joystick 21 and may be provided on the surface of the dashboard 24, the inner wall surface of the passenger compartment 3a, the seat of each driver's seat 11, and the like. In addition, the input operation means 42 which is a preparation mode for switching the operation mode between the normal travel operation mode and the non-normal travel operation mode and the other input operation means 43 to 45 are separated from each other, for example, One input operation means 42 may be provided on the joystick 21, and the other input operation means 43 to 45 may be provided on the surface of the dashboard 24.

  The control system will be described with reference to FIG. As the control means, the ECU 31 and a plurality of inverter devices 39 are provided. The inverter device 39 is a device for driving a drive source 6 composed of an electric motor of the traveling drive mechanism 5 for each wheel, and a power circuit unit such as an inverter for converting DC power of a battery (not shown) into AC power; The control circuit unit controls the power circuit unit in accordance with a command from the ECU 31.

  The ECU 31 is an electric control unit that performs overall control and cooperative control of the entire automobile, and includes a micro computer and an electronic circuit. The ECU 31 may be composed of a plurality of ECUs classified by function. Here, the ECU 31 will be described as a group of the plurality of ECUs. The ECU 31 includes a steering control unit 32, a drive control unit 33, the mode switching control unit 34, and the input selection unit 26b. The steering control means 32 receives a steering direction signal of the steering operation means, in the illustrated example, the steering direction signal input by the joystick 31, and sends a drive command to the steering drive source 4 a of each steering mechanism 4. It is a means to give. The drive control means 33 outputs a drive command such as a torque command to the inverter device 39 of the drive source 6 of each wheel in accordance with the accelerator operation amount of the accelerator operation means, in the illustrated example, the accelerator operation amount signal input from the joystick 31. It is means to do. The accelerator operation amount signal is an acceleration command, a deceleration command, or a speed maintenance command.

  The mode switching control unit 34 is means for switching a traveling mode between a normal traveling operation mode and an in-situ rotation mode and a non-normal traveling mode which is a lateral movement mode by a mode switching signal. In this example, the mode switching control unit 34 includes, in addition to the switching function, a normal operation control unit 35 and a non-normal operation control unit 36 that cause the steering control unit 32 and the drive control unit 33 to function according to each travel mode. . The mode switching control unit 34 and the mode switching input operation means 42 to 45 constitute a traveling mode switching means 41.

  The normal operation control unit 35 causes the steering control unit 32 and the drive control unit 33 to perform a normal operation, that is, a basic operation determined in accordance with a steering input and an accelerator operation amount signal from the joystick 31 that is a steering and accelerator operation unit. It is a means to function so that. This basic operation is an operation for causing the steering control means 32 to issue a command for turning in the input direction in accordance with the input of the steering direction, and for causing the drive control means 33 to issue a drive command corresponding to the accelerator operation amount. It is.

  When in the in-situ rotation mode, the non-normal operation control unit 36 controls the steering control means 32 and the drive control means 33 so as to be in the in-situ rotation form described above with reference to FIG. When in the mode, the steering control means 32 and the drive control means 33 are controlled so as to be in the lateral movement mode described above with reference to FIG. Even if the inputs of the steering means such as the joystick 31 and the accelerator operating means are made in the same way, the steering control means 32 and the drive control means 33 perform different operations due to the interposition of the mode control units 35 and 36. Become.

  The mode switching control means 41 will be described more specifically. As described above, the mode switching control unit 41 includes the plurality of input operation units 42 to 45 and the mode switching control unit 34 that switches the operation mode by the input of the input operation units 42 to 45. The mode switching control unit 35 is configured so that when a plurality of the input operation units 42 to 45 are in the input operation state at the same time or after any of the input operation units 42 to 45 is input, Only when the input operation means 42 to 45 are input, the mode can be switched. In this embodiment, the first input operation means 42 is operated to be in the switching preparation mode, and any of the other input operation means 43 to 45 (these input operation means 43 to 45 are referred to as “second operation”). The mode can be switched by performing an input operation on the first input operation means 42 and any of the other second input operation means 43 to 45 at the same time. It becomes. Here, “input operation is performed simultaneously” refers to a case where there is an overlap time during which both operations are performed, although there may be a deviation from each other at the start or end of the input operation.

  In addition to the above conditions, the mode switching control unit 34 can be switched only when the vehicle stops traveling or when the speed is equal to or less than a predetermined speed. The mode switching control unit 34 determines whether the travel is stopped or whether the speed is equal to or less than a predetermined speed based on a detection signal of a rotational speed sensor 46 provided on the wheel bearings 7 of the wheels 1 and 2 and the like. The above-mentioned “predetermined speed” may be arbitrarily determined, but is a speed that allows safe driving even when the driving mode changes, for example, a speed that is slower than a normal walking speed of a person.

  FIG. 6 shows a control example of the mode switching control unit 34. The mode switching control unit 34 monitors whether or not the first input operation means 42 is turned on (S2), and maintains the current travel mode until it is turned on (S1).

  When the first input operation means 42 is turned on (S2), a mode switching preparation mode is set, and in this state, it waits for any of the second input operation means 43 to 45 to be turned on (S3, S4). The first input operation means 42 and the second input operation means 43 to 45 may be turned on simultaneously. If any of the second input operation means 43 to 45 is not turned on even after a predetermined operation waiting time has elapsed, a step of determining whether or not the first input operation means 42 is turned on (S2). ) And waits for the first input operation means 42 to turn on again. By the time the operation waiting time elapses, any one of the second input operation means 43 to 45 is turned on, or the first input operation means 42 and the second input operation means 43 to 45 are turned on simultaneously. Then, the operation mode is switched through the set speed determination step (S5) (S6).

In this embodiment, the operation mode switching (S6) is performed in the mode selected by the second input operation means 43 to 45. For example, when the input operation means 43 is operated, the field rotation mode is set, when the other input operation means 44 is operated, the lateral movement mode is set, and when the other input operation means 45 is operated, the normal operation mode is set. It becomes.
If the speed is equal to or higher than the set speed, the process returns to the first step S1 and waits for the first input operation means 42 to be turned on again.

  According to the automobile having the above-described configuration, traveling in the in-situ rotation form or the lateral movement form shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C can be performed. Therefore, it is possible to freely move into a garage, move to a parking space, or change direction in a narrow space or on the road.

  In this case, it has the joystick 21 which performs the operation of the steering mechanism 4 and the driving of the travel drive mechanism 5, and the joystick 21 can input the direction and the operation amount with one operator. Therefore, including the in-situ rotation shown in FIG. 3B and the lateral movement shown in FIG. 3C, driving in an unconventional form that can be performed by each wheel independent turning and each driving wheel independent driving. However, it can be performed with good operability. Moreover, since it is based on the driver's operation with the joystick 21, unlike the case where the driving in the non-normal form is performed by the automatic driving, an appropriate driving according to the situation can be performed.

When the joystick installation seats 23 are provided at a plurality of locations and the installation location of the joystick 21 can be changed, the joystick can be operated at the position of the joystick 21 that can be easily operated by the driver.
Even when a plurality of joysticks 21 and a joystick selecting means 26 for selecting the joystick 21 to be operated from among them are provided, it is possible to select and operate a joystick at a position where it can be easily operated. If the plurality of joysticks 21 have different formats, it is possible to select and operate a desired joystick 21. In these cases, if inputs from a plurality of joysticks 21 are overlapped, driving is hindered. In this regard, the joystick selection means 26 is provided so that only the input of the selected joystick 21 is accepted, so that the operation can be performed without any trouble.

  If there are a plurality of joysticks 21 and they can be installed at a plurality of locations, the joystick 21 that is easy to operate can be selected from a larger number. Also in this case, the operation can be performed without any trouble by accepting only the input of the selected joystick 21.

  Also, switching between a non-normal driving operation mode in which a non-normal driving operation is performed in a lateral movement mode or a spot rotation mode and a normal driving operation mode in which a normal driving operation is performed in a mode other than the non-normal driving mode is performed. Since the travel mode switching means 41 is provided for switching by the driver's operation, the travel mode is not switched unless the driver operates the travel mode switching means. The normal driving mode and the non-normal driving mode are extremely different from the driving mode that differs from the difference in the bending angle.Therefore, the driver's unconscious state may be caused by erroneous driving or automatic driving. Once switched, it is expected that subsequent proper operation cannot be performed. However, by providing the traveling mode switching means 41 as described above, the traveling mode is switched while the driver is always conscious, and safety is improved.

  The traveling mode switching means 41 can be switched only when the traveling of the automobile is stopped or when the traveling speed is below a predetermined speed. Since the driving mode is extremely different between the normal driving mode and the non-normal driving mode, even if the driver is aware, if the driving speed is switched at a high speed, proper driving may not be performed. By making it possible to switch only when stopped or at a low speed as described above, appropriate vehicle operation immediately after switching can be performed stably.

  Even if the driving mode can be switched only when the driving mode switching means 41 is operated, the operator of the driving mode switching means 41 unexpectedly hits a part of the driver's body or equipment, The travel mode switching means 41 may be operated to be switched. In this regard, in this embodiment, the travel mode switching means 41 has a plurality of input operation means 42 to 45 and a mode switching control section 34, and the mode switching control section 34 has a plurality of input operation means as described above. Switching is possible only when 42 to 45 are in the input operation state at the same time, or when the second input operation means 43 to 45 are input after the first input operation means 42 is input. These two simultaneous operations are rarely unexpected. Therefore, unexpected switching between the normal driving mode and the non-normal driving mode is more reliably avoided, and the safety is further improved.

  The input operation means 42 to 45 of the travel mode switching means 21 are provided on the joystick 21. Therefore, the following advantages are obtained. That is, when there are a plurality of input operation means 42 to 45 for mode switching and these operations are performed, the time required for the input operation becomes long. However, in most cases, the driver touches the joystick 21 that is the steering input means during driving, and the mode input input operation means 42 to 45 are provided in association with the steering input means 21. The operation of the switching input operation means by the driver can be performed quickly with a few fingers or the like.

  If the input operation means 42 to 45 for mode switching are on the joystick 21 which is a steering input means, it is possible to operate quickly, but the possibility of erroneous operation increases. Therefore, when one of the first input operation means 42 for mode switching and any one of the second input operation means 43 to 45 is provided away from the joystick 21, the possibility of an unexpected erroneous operation can be reduced. .

7 and 8 show another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 except for the matters specifically described.
In this embodiment, as a means for operating the steering mechanism 4, a steering wheel 27 is provided separately from the joystick 21, and an accelerator pedal 28 is provided. The input selection unit 26a accepts only the input of the steering wheel 27 as a steering input in a basic state in which the operation of the selection switch 26a is not performed, or during normal traveling, that is, when traveling in the normal traveling operation mode. In the case of the non-normal driving mode in which the vehicle is steered and travels in the spot rotation mode or the lateral movement mode, it is automatically changed so that only the input of the joystick 21 is accepted as the steering input and the steering is performed. In addition, the input selection unit 26a accepts the input of the accelerator operation amount only from the accelerator pedal 28 in a state where the input of the steering wheel 27 is received.

The input selection unit 26a also has a function of switching to accept input from the joystick 21 and any joystick 21 or any joystick installation seat 23 by operating the selection switch 26a.
The steering wheel 27 may also be detachable from a steering wheel installation seat (not shown).

  According to the joystick 21, it is possible to easily drive in both normal driving and non-normal driving. However, during normal driving, it is easier to use the steering wheel 27 because it is used to a conventional automobile. By providing both the joystick 21 and the steering wheel 27, it is easy to operate both during normal travel and during non-normal travel.

  In the case where the steering wheel 27 and the joystick 21 are provided, if one or both of the steering wheel 27 and the joystick 21 are detachable, the periphery of the driver's seat 11 may be narrowed by the unused steering wheel 27 or the joystick 21. It is avoided and a wide space around the driver is obtained. The removed steering wheel 27 and joystick 21 may be stored in a predetermined place in the automobile.

  Although the above embodiments have been described with respect to the case where the travel drive mechanism 5 is of the in-wheel motor type, the present invention is such that the travel drive mechanism 5 is mounted on the frame of the vehicle body 3 (that is, as shown in FIG. 9). The present invention can also be applied to a vehicle of a type in which rotation is transmitted from the drive source 6 installed on the upper side of the pension to the wheels 1 through the constant velocity joints 19 and 20. The prime mover 6 may be an electric motor or an internal combustion engine. Further, the number of wheels of the automobile is not limited to four, and may be three or five or more. The drive wheels among the wheels are all driven by a travel drive mechanism including a prime mover, but the number of drive wheels may be arbitrary. For example, in a four-wheeled vehicle, the front wheel or the rear wheel may be two-wheel drive, and in a three-wheeled vehicle in which the front wheel or the rear wheel is one wheel, the front wheel or the rear wheel that is the one wheel is It may be a drive wheel.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 ... Wheel 3 ... Vehicle body 3a ... Cab 4 ... Steering mechanism 4a ... Steering drive source 5 ... Travel drive mechanism 6 ... Drive source 7 ... Wheel bearing 8 ... Reducer 11 ... Driver's seat 21 ... Joystick 22 ... Brake operator 23 ... Joystick installation seat 24 ... Dashboard 26 ... Joystick selection means 26a ... Select switch 26b ... Input selection unit 31 ... ECU
34 ... Mode switching control unit 35 ... Normal operation control unit 36 ... Non-normal operation control unit 41 ... Travel mode switching means 42-45 ... Input operation means 46 ... Rotational speed sensor C ... Virtual circumference

Claims (10)

It has three or more wheels, and it has a steering mechanism that can be steered independently for all the wheels, and each of the wheels is independently driven by a driving mechanism including a prime mover. Car,
An automobile having a joystick for operating the steering mechanism and driving the travel drive mechanism.   2. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein a joystick installation seat to which the joystick can be attached and detached is provided at a plurality of locations on a vehicle body, and the installation location of the joystick can be changed to an arbitrary joystick installation seat.   3. The automobile according to claim 1, further comprising: a joystick selecting unit that selects a joystick that can be operated from the plurality of joysticks.   3. The automobile according to claim 2, comprising a plurality of the joysticks, and joystick selection means for selecting a joystick to be operated from the plurality of joysticks.   5. The lateral movement according to claim 1, wherein the steering mechanism and the travel drive mechanism are configured such that each wheel is rotated sideways with respect to the vehicle body and each drive wheel is rotated in the same lateral direction. Rotate the drive wheels in the same direction as viewed from the center of the vehicle body, with the wheels facing each other in the direction along the common circumference, or along the circumference of one of multiple concentric circles A vehicle that can take one or both of the forms of rotating in place.   The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein means for operating the steering mechanism by a driver is only the joystick. 6. The lateral movement according to claim 1, wherein the steering mechanism and the traveling drive mechanism rotate the drive wheels to roll in the same lateral direction with the wheels set sideways with respect to the vehicle body. Direction moving form and each wheel is directed in a direction along a common circumference, or in a direction along any one of a plurality of concentric circles, and each drive wheel is viewed from the vehicle body center side in the same direction. It is a configuration that can take either or both of the in-situ rotation form to be rotated,
As means for operating the steering mechanism, a steering wheel is provided separately from the joystick,
The steering wheel input is selected during normal travel, which is a travel other than during non-normal travel traveling in the lateral movement mode or the spot rotation mode, and the joystick input is selected during the non-normal travel. An automobile provided with an input selection unit for selection.   8. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein either or both of the steering wheel and the joystick are detachable.   9. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the prime mover of the travel drive mechanism is an electric motor. The automobile according to claim 9, wherein the travel drive mechanism is an in-wheel motor drive device.

Images