JP7209500B2 - Knob fixing structure - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure for fixing a knob to an operating lever that is operated to switch gear ranges of a transmission.

2. Description of the Related Art Vehicles such as automobiles are equipped with a transmission that changes the power of a drive source such as an engine. For example, in a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission such as a stepped automatic transmission (AT: Automatic Transmission) or a continuously variable transmission (CVT: Continuously Variable Transmission), the driver can select P range, R range, N range and A shift lever (select lever) is provided in the vehicle interior to instruct switching of the shift range including the D range.

The shift lever protrudes from the shift panel into the vehicle interior, and a shift knob is attached to the tip of the shift lever. As a structure for fixing the shift knob to the shift lever, a structure using a snap ring is often adopted in consideration of assembling and replacing workability.

The shift lever has a cylindrical shaft. A fitting groove extending in the circumferential direction is formed in the shaft. In addition, the shaft is formed with a guide groove formed by notching the upper end of the shaft in a U-shape. On the other hand, the shift knob has an external fitting portion fitted onto the shaft. A mounting groove extending in the circumferential direction is formed in the outer fitting portion. A snap ring having elastic force in a diameter-reducing direction is externally fitted in the mounting groove. Further, the shift knob is provided with guide projections corresponding to the guide grooves.

When the shift knob is attached to the shift lever, the outer fitting portion of the shift knob is fitted onto the shaft of the shift lever from the tip side. At this time, the rotational position of the shift knob is adjusted so that the guide protrusion of the shift knob fits into the guide groove of the shaft of the shift lever. Then, the guide projection is fitted in the guide groove, and the shift knob is moved to the base end side of the shift lever in a state where the guide projection is fitted in the guide groove. When the mounting groove of the shift knob faces the fitting groove of the shift lever and the snap ring mounted in the mounting groove fits into the fitting groove, the mounting of the shift knob to the shift lever is completed.

JP-A-2005-1470

In such a structure, the fitting direction of the shift knob with respect to the shift lever is restricted by fitting the guide projection into the guide groove. Further, the shift knob is prevented from coming off from the shift lever by fitting the snap ring into the fitting groove via the mounting groove. However, since the width of the guide groove is larger than the width of the guide projection and the width of the fitting groove is larger than the wire diameter of the snap ring, the shift knob cannot move vertically with respect to the shift lever. and play in the direction of rotation. Therefore, when the driver grips the shift knob and operates the shift lever, the shift knob feels loose, which gives the driver an impression that the vehicle is cheap.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a knob fixing structure capable of suppressing looseness of the knob with respect to the operating lever.

In order to achieve the above object, a knob mounting structure according to the present invention is a structure for fixing a knob to an operating lever operated to switch gear ranges of a transmission, wherein the operating lever has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface. A fitting groove and a guide groove extending in the center line direction of the outer peripheral surface and opening at the tip thereof are formed on the outer peripheral surface, and the knob has an internal space with one end open, A wall-like wall provided at the open end of the knob, and a guide projection protruding into the internal space. A mounting groove is formed through the wall. The guide protrusion enters the guide groove from its tip in the center line direction, the wall faces the outer peripheral surface from the radial outer side, the mounting groove overlaps the fitting groove in the radial direction, and the elasticity in the diameter contracting direction is achieved. A ring-shaped elastic body having force is externally fitted into the mounting groove, and the elastic body is fitted into the fitting groove facing the mounting groove, whereby the knob is mounted on the operating lever. An insertion portion extending in the direction of the center line is provided on the outside of the surface, and the knob is provided with a deformation portion that is pressed by the insertion portion and elastically deformed when attached to the operating lever.

According to this configuration, when the knob is attached to the operating lever, the guide protrusion fits into the guide groove, thereby restricting the direction in which the knob is attached to the operating lever. Further, the ring-shaped elastic body is fitted into the fitting groove via the mounting groove, thereby preventing the knob from coming off the operating lever. Further, the insertion portion provided in the operating lever presses the deformation portion provided in the knob, the deformation portion is elastically deformed, and stress due to the elastic deformation of the deformation portion acts on the insertion portion. Therefore, play of the knob with respect to the operation lever can be suppressed.

The deformation portion may be configured to deform radially outward of the outer peripheral surface when pressed by the insertion portion, and the insertion portion may be sandwiched between the wall portion and the deformation portion. As a result, rattling of the knob can be suppressed satisfactorily.

Further, the distal end portion (the end portion on the knob side) of the insertion portion may have a wedge shape. Accordingly, when the insertion portion and the deformation portion come into contact with each other, the force with which the insertion portion presses the deformation portion can be effectively converted into the force that deforms the deformation portion. As a result, it is possible to suppress play of the knob with respect to the operating lever while improving the mountability of the knob with respect to the operating lever.

When the deformable portion is configured to deform radially outward, the distal end portion of the insertion portion is formed in a wedge shape having a surface inclined radially inward toward the distal end. is preferred. As a result, since the deformation portion is in surface contact with the inclined surface of the insertion portion, there is no play between the insertion portion and the deformation portion, and play of the knob with respect to the operation lever can be suppressed satisfactorily.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress looseness of the knob with respect to the operating lever, and to suppress giving the driver an impression of low cost due to the looseness.

1 is a right side view of a shift lever device to which a knob fixing structure according to an embodiment of the invention is applied; FIG. It is a right view of a shift lever apparatus, and shows the state in the middle of mounting|wearing a shift knob with a shift lever. FIG. 3 is a right side view of the shift lever device, showing a state in which the shift knob is in the process of being attached to the shift lever, showing a state in which the attachment has progressed from the state shown in FIG. 2 ; FIG. 4 is a plan view of a snap ring;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Below, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Shift lever device>
FIG. 1 is a right side view of a shift lever device 1 to which a knob fixing structure according to one embodiment of the invention is applied.

The shift lever device 1 is mounted on a vehicle as a set with a stepped or stepless automatic transmission, and is manually operated by the driver of the vehicle in order to switch the shift range of the automatic transmission. A shift lever device 1 includes a shift lever 2 and a shift knob 3 .

The shift lever 2 is provided across the inside and outside of the vehicle compartment. Specifically, in the instrument panel of the vehicle, a plate-shaped shift panel is arranged at the center in the vehicle width direction (horizontal direction of the vehicle) with its surface facing the interior of the vehicle. A shift gate is formed through the shift panel in the thickness direction. The shift lever 2 is inserted through the shift gate so that the base end portion is arranged outside the vehicle compartment and the tip end portion is arranged inside the vehicle compartment. Further, the shift lever 2 is provided movably along the shift gate. The movable range of the shift lever 2 includes, for example, a P (parking) position, an R (reverse) position, an N (neutral) position, and a D (drive) position arranged in this order from the front side to the rear side.

When the shift lever 2 is operated, the operation is input to the outer lever of the automatic transmission through the shift cable, and the input rotates the control shaft. As the control shaft rotates, the spool of the manual valve moves, and hydraulic pressure is output from the output port corresponding to the shift position of the shift lever 2, thereby shifting gears corresponding to the shift position in the automatic transmission. Ranges are selectively configured: P-range, R-range, N-range or D-range.

Further, the shift lever 2 has a double shaft structure, and includes an outer substantially cylindrical shaft 11 and a rod-like rod 12 inserted through the inner side of the shaft 11 . The shaft 11 has a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral surface 13 on which two fitting grooves 14 and two guide grooves 15 are formed. The two fitting grooves 14 are formed at positions symmetrical with respect to the diameter of the outer peripheral surface 13 and extend in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 13 . The two guide grooves 15 are formed at positions that are symmetrical with respect to the diameter of the outer peripheral surface 13, and extend from the tip edge of the outer peripheral surface 13 in the centerline direction of the outer peripheral surface 13 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "centerline direction"). extended. The fitting groove 14 and the guide groove 15 may pass through the shaft 11 or may be formed in a concave shape that is one step below the outer peripheral surface 13 . The rod 12 is provided so as to be able to reciprocate in the direction of the center line, and is urged toward the interior of the vehicle in the direction of the center line by the elastic force of a spring (not shown).

Furthermore, the shift lever 2 has a cover 16 . The cover 16 includes a substantially cylindrical cylindrical portion 17 surrounding the circumference of the shaft 11 , and a portion of the distal end edge of the cylindrical portion 17 extending outward in the radial direction (hereinafter simply referred to as “radial direction”) of the outer peripheral surface 13 . and an extended portion 19 extending from the tip end edge of the extended portion 18 toward the inside of the passenger compartment in the direction of the center line. The shaft 11 protrudes from the tubular portion 17 into the vehicle interior, and the fitting groove 14 and the guide groove 15 are exposed from the tubular portion 17 .

In addition, the shift lever 2 is formed with an insertion portion 21 projecting from the projecting portion 18 toward the vehicle interior in the direction of the center line between the shaft 11 and the extension portion 19 of the cover 16 . The insertion portion 21 has an inner side surface 22 facing radially inward and an outer side surface 23 facing radially outward. The distal end portion of the outer side surface 23 is inclined toward the inner side surface 22 toward the distal end side, so that the distal end portion of the insertion portion 21 is formed in a wedge shape.

The shift knob 3 is attached to the tip of the shift lever 2 . The shift knob 3 has an internal space 31 with one open end, a wall-like wall portion 32 provided at the open end, and a guide projection 33 protruding into the internal space 31 . The internal space 31 is surrounded by a substantially cylindrical inner surface 34 , and the wall portion 32 has an arc-shaped opposing surface 35 that is continuously continuous with the inner surface 34 and curved with the same curvature as the inner surface 34 . Two mounting grooves 36 are formed in the wall portion 32 . The two mounting grooves 36 are formed at positions corresponding to the two fitting grooves 14 , extend in the circumferential direction of the opposing surface 35 (hereinafter simply referred to as “circumferential direction”), and pass through the opposing surface 35 in the radial direction. are doing. The guide protrusion 33 protrudes into the internal space 31 from the inner surface 34, for example. The circumferential width of the guide projection 33 is smaller than the circumferential width of the guide groove 15 of the shift lever 2 . In other words, the guide groove 15 of the shift lever 2 is formed with a width smaller than the circumferential width of the guide protrusion 33 of the shift knob 3 .

Further, the shift knob 3 is provided with deformation portions 37 at both ends of the wall portion 32 in the circumferential direction and at intervals in the circumferential direction. The deformable portion 37 has a tongue-like shape extending in the centerline direction of the inner surface 34 from the edge on the open side of the inner surface 34 , and is elastically deformable so that its tip becomes a free end and bends in the radial direction of the inner surface 34 . It is

<Mounting the shift knob>
FIG. 2 is a right side view of the shift lever device 1, showing a state in which the shift knob 3 is being attached to the shift lever 2. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a right side view of the shift lever device 1, showing a state in which the shift knob 3 is in the process of being attached to the shift lever 2, and shows a state in which the attachment has progressed from the state shown in FIG.

When the shift knob 3 is attached to the shift lever 2, the shift knob 3 is arranged on the center line of the shift lever 2 as shown in FIG. Specifically, the shift knob 3 is arranged on the tip side of the shift lever 2 so that the center line of the inner surface 34 of the shift knob 3 is positioned on the center line of the outer peripheral surface 13 of the shaft 11 of the shift lever 2 . After that, the shift knob 3 is brought closer to the shift lever 2 and the rod 12 of the shift lever 2 is inserted into the internal space 31 of the shift knob 3 .

Further, the rotational position of the shift knob 3 is adjusted so that the shift knob 3 is rotated around the center line of the inner surface 34 and the guide protrusion 33 of the shift knob 3 fits into the guide groove 15 of the shift lever 2 . Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the shift knob 3 is moved to the base end side of the shift lever 2, and the guide projection 33 is fitted into the guide groove 15. As shown in FIG. As a result, the shift knob 3 is positioned around the centerline of the shift lever 2 (the centerline of the outer peripheral surface 13) with respect to the shift lever 2. As shown in FIG. Further, the facing surface 35 of the wall portion 32 faces the outer peripheral surface 13 of the shaft 11 of the shift lever 2 until the guide projection 33 is fitted into the guide groove 15 .

As the shift knob 3 moves toward the base end of the shift lever 2 , the insertion portion 21 of the shift lever 2 comes into contact with the deformation portion 37 of the shift knob 3 as shown in FIG. 3 . After this abutment, when the shift knob 3 is further moved to the base end side of the shift lever 2, the insertion portion 21 presses the deformation portion 37, and the distal end of the deformation portion 37 is elastically deformed so as to bend outward in the radial direction. .

After that, the shift knob 3 is further moved toward the base end of the shift lever 2, and as shown in FIG. Further movement is restricted. In this state, each mounting groove 36 of the wall portion 32 of the shift knob 3 radially overlaps with the fitting groove 14 of the shaft 11 of the shift lever 2 .

4 is a plan view of the snap ring 41. FIG.

A snap ring 41 is mounted in the mounting groove 36 . The snap ring 41 is formed by bending a wire having a diameter smaller than the groove widths of the fitting groove 14 and the mounting groove 36, and has a substantially annular or substantially C-shaped shape. is. The snap ring 41 integrally includes an outer fitting portion 42 curved in a substantially C shape, and two curved portions 43 that are continuous with the outer fitting portion 42 and curved in an arc shape so as to be close to each other. The snap ring 41 is attached to the shift knob 3 by fitting the outer fitting portion 42 to the wall portion 32 of the shift knob 3 and fitting the two curved portions 43 into the fitting grooves 36 respectively. By fitting the two curved portions 43 into the fitting grooves 14 in a state in which the mounting grooves 36 overlap the fitting grooves 14 , the shift knob 3 is prevented from coming off the shift lever 2 . This completes the attachment of the shift knob 3 to the shift lever 2 .

The snap ring 41 may be attached to the shift knob 3 in advance, or may be attached to the shift knob 3 after each attachment groove 36 overlaps the fitting groove 14 .

When the shift knob 3 is completely attached to the shift lever 2, the deformation portion 37 of the shift knob 3 is positioned at the tip of the outer surface 23 of the insertion portion 21 of the shift lever 2, that is, the inner surface 22, as shown in FIG. extends along the sloped portion in face contact with the sloped portion to approach the .

<Effect>
As described above, when the shift knob 3 is attached to the shift lever 2 , the guide projection 33 of the shift knob 3 is fitted into the guide groove 15 of the shift lever 2 . direction) is regulated. Further, the shift knob 3 is prevented from coming off from the shift lever 2 by fitting the snap ring 41 into the fitting groove 14 of the shift lever 2 via the mounting groove 36 of the shift knob 3 . Furthermore, the insertion portion 21 provided in the shift lever 2 presses the deformation portion 37 provided in the shift knob 3, the deformation portion 37 is elastically deformed, and stress due to the elastic deformation of the deformation portion 37 acts on the insertion portion 21. . Therefore, play of the shift knob 3 with respect to the shift lever 2 can be suppressed.

In addition, since the tip of the insertion portion 21 is formed in a wedge shape, the force with which the insertion portion 21 presses the deformation portion 37 when the shift knob 3 is attached can be effectively converted into a force that deforms the deformation portion 37. . As a result, it is possible to suppress looseness of the shift knob 3 with respect to the shift lever 2 while improving mountability of the shift knob 3 with respect to the shift lever 2 .

The distal end portion of the outer side surface 23 of the insertion section 21 is formed into a surface that is inclined so as to approach the inner side surface 22 , and the deformation section 37 comes into surface contact with this surface, thereby creating a gap between the insertion section 21 and the deformation section 37 . There is no looseness, and the looseness of the shift knob 3 with respect to the shift lever 2 can be suppressed satisfactorily.

<Modification>
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can also be implemented in other forms.

For example, the deformation portion 37 is configured to deform radially outward of the outer peripheral surface when pressed by the insertion portion 21 , and the insertion portion 21 is sandwiched between the wall portion 32 and the deformation portion 37 . may As a result, looseness of the shift knob 3 can be suppressed satisfactorily.

Further, the knob fixing structure according to the present invention may be applied not only to the shift lever device 1 of an automatic transmission but also to a shift lever device mounted on a vehicle together with a manual transmission (MT).

In addition, various design changes can be made to the above configuration within the scope of the matters described in the claims.

2: Shift lever (operation lever)
3: Shift knob (knob)
13: Peripheral surface 14: Fitting groove 15: Guide groove 21: Insertion part 31: Internal space 32: Wall part 33: Guide projection 36: Mounting groove 37: Deformation part 41: Snap ring (elastic body)

Claims (2)

A structure for fixing a knob to an operation lever operated to switch gear ranges of a transmission,
The operating lever has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface,
The outer peripheral surface is formed with a fitting groove and a guide groove extending in the center line direction of the outer peripheral surface and open at its tip,
The knob has an internal space with one end open, and includes a wall-shaped wall provided at the open end, and a guide projection protruding into the internal space,
A mounting groove is formed through the wall,
The operating lever is inserted into the inner space of the knob, the guide protrusion enters the guide groove from its tip in the center line direction, and the wall portion extends from the outer peripheral surface from the outer peripheral surface in the radial direction. , the mounting groove overlaps the fitting groove in the radial direction, and a ring-shaped elastic body having elastic force in a radially contracting direction is mounted in the mounting groove by being fitted onto the mounting groove. The knob is mounted on the operating lever by fitting into the fitting groove facing the mounting groove,
The operation lever is provided with an insertion portion extending in the center line direction outside the outer peripheral surface,
The knob is provided with a deformation portion that is elastically deformed by being pressed by the insertion portion when attached to the operation lever ,
The deformable portion is configured to deform outward in the radial direction when pressed by the insertion portion,
The knob fixing structure , wherein the insertion portion is sandwiched between the wall portion and the deformation portion . A structure for fixing a knob to an operation lever operated to switch gear ranges of a transmission,
The operating lever has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface,
The outer peripheral surface is formed with a fitting groove and a guide groove extending in the center line direction of the outer peripheral surface and open at its tip,
The knob has an internal space with one end open, and includes a wall-shaped wall provided at the open end, and a guide projection protruding into the internal space,
A mounting groove is formed through the wall,
The operating lever is inserted into the inner space of the knob, the guide protrusion enters the guide groove from its tip in the center line direction, and the wall portion extends from the outer peripheral surface from the outer peripheral surface in the radial direction. , the mounting groove overlaps the fitting groove in the radial direction, and a ring-shaped elastic body having elastic force in a radially contracting direction is mounted in the mounting groove by being fitted onto the mounting groove. The knob is mounted on the operating lever by fitting into the fitting groove facing the mounting groove,
The operation lever is provided with an insertion portion extending in the center line direction outside the outer peripheral surface,
The knob is provided with a deformation portion that is elastically deformed by being pressed by the insertion portion when attached to the operation lever,
The distal end portion of the insertion portion is formed in a wedge shape having a surface that slopes toward the inner side in the radial direction as it approaches the distal end,
The knob fixing structure, wherein the deformation portion deforms outward in the radial direction when pressed by the insertion portion, and is configured to come into surface contact with the inclined surface.

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