# US 11,897,537 B2 · Driver assistance system

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- Number: US 11,897,537 B2
- Document ID: US11897537B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/614,037
- Filed: 2020-06-17
- Published: 2022-07-28
- Granted: 2024-02-13
- Earliest claimed: 2019-06-18
- Assignees: Mazda Motor Corporation
- Applicants: Mazda Motor Corporation
- Inventors: Yoshihiro Yamamoto; Yasuyuki Tonohara; Keiichi Yamasaki; Katsuhisa Maedo; Kenichi Nakamoto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897537B2

## CPC

- A61F 4/00: Methods or devices enabling patients or disabled persons to operate an apparatus or a device not forming part of the body
- B62D 1/046: {Adaptations on rotatable parts of the steering wheel for accommodation of switches}
- B60K 26/02: of initiating means or elements
- B60K 26/04: of means connecting initiating means or elements to propulsion unit
- B60K 2026/028: {Acceleration input members mounted on steering wheel or column}
- B60K 2026/046: {with electrical transmission means}
- A61F: FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS (dental prosthetics A61C)
- B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M)
- B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES

## Abstract

A driver assistance system is provided that allows a driver to easily perform an accelerator operation by a finger of his/her hand while grasping a steering holding section. The driver assistance system includes an operation member near a steering wheel held by a driver, which rotates about a rotation shaft in a vehicle front-rear direction and thereby steers the vehicle. The operation member has an operation section that the driver can manually operate to accelerate/decelerate the vehicle, and includes a support member on the steering wheel, the support member supporting the operation member in a slidingly displaceable manner along a steering axial direction. The operation section is disposed near a radially inner side of a rim section of the steering wheel, and the operation section and the rim section overlap in the steering axial direction within a movable range of the operation member along the steering axial direction.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A driver assistance system for a vehicle having a steering holding section that is held by a driver who is seated on a driver's seat, rotates about a rotation shaft in a vehicle front-rear direction, and thereby steers a vehicle, the driver assistance system comprising:
an operation member having an operation section disposed such that the driver can manually operate the operation section to accelerate/decelerate the vehicle when the steering holding section is held by the driver; and
a support member that supports the operation member in a slidingly displaceable manner along a rotation shaft direction in which the rotation shaft extends; and
transmission means that mechanically or electrically transmits a sliding displacement amount in the rotation shaft direction of the operation member to an output control section of a drive source for the vehicle, wherein
when the steering holding section is seen from the driver side, the operation section is disposed along said steering holding section at a position proximal said steering holding section and between the steering holding section and the rotation shaft, and
a movable range of the operation member is such that, in the rotation shaft direction, the operation section is movable from a first position closest to the driver where the operation section is aligned with an end surface on the driver side of the steering holding section in a direction normal to the rotation shaft direction, to a second position farthest from the driver overlapping with the steering holding section.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The driver assistance system according to claim 1, wherein
a spoke that couples the steering holding section and the rotation shaft is provided therebetween when seen from the driver side, and
the support member is fixed to a rear back side of the spoke when seen from the driver side.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The driver assistance system according to claim 2, wherein
the operation section is disposed such that said operation section is divided by a portion corresponding to the spoke when the steering holding section is seen from the driver side,
the operation member includes:
the operation section; and
a coupling section that couples one side and another side of the divided operation sections, and
the coupling section is disposed to extend across the corresponding spoke from the rear back side thereof when seen from the driver side.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The driver assistance system according to claim 3, wherein
a second spoke that couples the steering holding section and the rotation shaft is provided therebetween when seen from the driver side,
the operation member is at least supported at three points by the steering holding section via the support member, and
these at least three points of support sections are separately provided to the spoke and the second spoke on both of right and left sides of the rotation shaft when seen from the driver side.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The driver assistance system according to claim 4, wherein
the spoke is provided with a cored bar that constitutes a framework of said spoke,
the cored bar is provided with an attachment hole used to fixedly attach an auxiliary machine that can be operated manually while the steering holding section is held, and
together with the auxiliary machine, the support member is attached to the cored bar by using the attachment hole.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The driver assistance system according to claim 5, wherein
the transmission means has a sensor that detects a displacement amount of the operation section, and
the sensor is arranged in an area on the rotation shaft side from the steering holding section and on a lower side of the spoke extending in a vehicle width direction when seen from the driver side.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The driver assistance system according to claim 2, wherein
the spoke is provided with a cored bar that constitutes a framework of said spoke,
the cored bar is provided with an attachment hole used to fixedly attach an auxiliary machine that can be operated manually while the steering holding section is held, and
together with the auxiliary machine, the support member is attached to the cored bar by using the attachment hole.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The driver assistance system according to claim 2, wherein
the transmission means has a sensor that detects a displacement amount of the operation section, and
the sensor is arranged in an area on the rotation shaft side from the steering holding section and on a lower side of the spoke extending in a vehicle width direction when seen from the driver side.