JPH10250400A - Column type shift device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve theftproof function by rotationally movably fitting a shift lever to a steering column through a fixing member fixing a key cylinder to the steering column. SOLUTION: An upper bracket 9 and a retainer 17 are fixing members for fitting a key cylinder 1 to a steering column 3, and the retainer 17 is formed with a boss part to which a shift lever 2 is fitted. In this constitution, when a key is drawn out, it is almost impossible to forcedly detach the key cylinder 1 from the steering column 3 in order to unlock without using the key, because large shearing force is applied to a pin constituting a connecting part. Even if the pin is drawn out after breaking the connecting part using a bolt 20, when the key cylinder 1 is detached from the steering column, the shift lever 2 is also detached simultaneously, and hence the shift lever 2 can not be operated so as to obstruct running.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shift device for switching a shift range and a shift speed in a vehicle, and more particularly to a column type shift device having a shift lever mounted on a steering column.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A column type shift device is provided with a shift lever which can be turned around a central axis of a steering column or a shift lever which can be turned around an axis substantially parallel to the steering column. The operation of the shift lever is transmitted to the transmission via a link or a cable, and the shift range and the shift speed are switched. In recent vehicles, a shift device is associated with a brake device or a key device to mechanically determine an operation procedure at the time of starting or parking.For example, in a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission, a parking range is set. The ignition key can be removed only when the ignition key is selected, and the steering shaft is locked when the ignition key is removed.

A column type shift device having such a lock mechanism is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-70532. In this device, a cylindrical housing is arranged along the steering column, a shift lever is attached to the upper end of the housing, and a key cylinder is attached to the steering column to rotate the shift lever to the parking range position. The key is transmitted to a key lock mechanism via a lever and a cable, whereby the key is released from the key cylinder.

[0004]

The above-mentioned keys and key lock mechanisms determine the procedures at the time of starting or parking. However, theft, such as that the steering operation cannot be performed without operating the keys. It also functions as a prevention. However, in the above-described conventional configuration, if the key cylinder is removed from the steering column, the steering lock is released, and the shift lock is not performed by the key, so that the shift operation can be performed as usual. You will be able to run.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a column-type shift device having an excellent anti-theft function.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a shift lever for shifting operation includes a key for starting and stopping the vehicle. In a column-type shift device attached to a steering column to which a cylinder is attached, the shift lever is pivotally attached to the steering column by a fixing member that fixes the key cylinder to the steering column. It is characterized by the following.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the fixing member comprises:
The concealing portion is configured by a plurality of divided pieces that are connected to each other and surrounds the steering column, and conceals a connecting portion of the divided pieces when the shift lever is operated to a shift position that sets a vehicle to a stopped state. The shift lever is formed on the shift lever.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the key cylinder is removed from the steering column, the fixing member is removed from the steering column. However, since the fixing member attaches the shift lever to the steering column. The shift lever together with the key cylinder is removed from the steering column. Therefore, in this state, the shift lever is no longer supported and cannot be operated. In other words, even if the vehicle can be started or steered by removing the key cylinder, it is not possible to carry out a gear change operation, so that the vehicle becomes substantially incapable of traveling and has a high anti-theft function.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the shift lever is operated so as to set the vehicle to a stop state, the concealing portion provided on the shift lever is provided with the divided piece constituting the fixing member. Since the connecting portion is concealed, when the fixing member and the key cylinder fixed to the steering column by the fixing member are removed, the connecting portion, which is a weak portion in terms of strength, is hardly found, and is protected from the breaking operation.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example in which the present invention is applied to a right-hand drive vehicle. A key cylinder 1 and a shift lever 2 are mounted on a steering column 3. The steering column 3 is composed of a steering column tube 4 and a steering shaft 5 arranged concentrically inside the steering column tube 4. The distal end (the lower end in FIG. 2) of the steering shaft 5 is the distal end of the steering column tube 4. , And a steering wheel (not shown) is attached to the protruding tip. A combination switch 6 is attached to a distal end (the lower end in FIG. 2) of the steering column tube 4. The combination switch 6 is a unit of a turn signal switch, a wiper switch (not shown) and the like, and is mounted adjacent to the steering wheel.

A key cylinder 1 and a shift lever 2 are arranged on the side opposite to the steering wheel with respect to the combination switch 6, and these are attached to the steering column tube 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the key cylinder 1 has a cylinder portion 7, a cylindrical neck portion 8 protruding in a radial direction from an intermediate position of the cylinder portion 7, and an integral part of the tip portion of the neck portion 8. And an upper bracket 9 that has been made to work. The upper bracket 9 is a semicircular band-shaped member whose inner peripheral surface has an arc surface having a radius of curvature coinciding with the outer peripheral surface of the steering column tube 4, and corresponds to one of the fixed members of the present invention. Is what you do.

A through hole 10 is formed in the center of the upper bracket 9 so as to open in the inner peripheral surface. The neck portion 8 is integrated with the through hole 10 so as to coincide with the through hole 10, and the key cylinder 1 is operated by operating the key cylinder 1. The lock bar 11 is configured to protrude from the through hole 10 to the inner peripheral side of the steering column tube 4. On the other hand, an engagement groove 12 that matches the lock bar 11 when the steering angle is substantially zero (substantially straight ahead) is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the steering shaft 5. By operating the key cylinder 1 in the OFF state, the lock bar 11 protrudes toward the steering shaft 5 and its tip engages with the engagement groove 12, thereby preventing the rotation of the steering shaft 5,
It is configured to lock a steering mechanism (not shown).

At one end of the upper bracket 9 in the longitudinal direction, a thin plate portion 13 having a substantially circular outer shape is integrally formed, and the thin plate portion 13 is attached to the steering column 3.
The mounting hole 14 is formed along an axial direction parallel to the mounting hole 14. Further, at the other end of the upper bracket 9, a protruding portion 15 protruding outward in the radial direction is formed, and a screw hole 16 parallel to the tangential direction of the steering column 3 is formed in the protruding portion 15.
Are formed.

The upper bracket 9 is fixed to the steering column 3 by tightening the steering column tube 4 together with a retainer 17 forming a pair with the upper bracket 9. That is, the retainer 17 is a member having a semi-circular surface having a radius of curvature substantially equal to the outer peripheral surface of the steering column tube 4, and a portion facing the upper bracket 9 is formed in a substantially semi-circular band shape. The retainer 17 corresponds to the other divided piece of the fixing member according to the present invention.

A projecting portion 18 having substantially the same shape as the projecting portion 15 of the upper bracket 9 is formed at one end (the right end in FIGS. 3 and 4) of the retainer 17. Further, a mounting hole 19 whose axis is aligned with the screw hole 16 is formed in the protruding portion 18, and the inside diameter of the portion of the mounting hole 19 opposite to the upper bracket 9 is increased. A step portion with which a head of a bolt 20 described later is engaged is formed at a portion where the inner diameter changes.

The other end of the retainer 17 has a slit 21 on the upper bracket 9 side, into which the thin plate portion 13 of the upper bracket 9 can be inserted. Further, a mounting hole 22 is formed along a direction intersecting with the slit portion 21, that is, along a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the steering column 3. The inside diameter of the mounting hole 22 is set to be the same as the inside diameter of the mounting hole 14 in the thin plate portion 13, but the inside diameter of the opening end on the steering wheel side is a tool (not shown).
Is set to such a small diameter as to insert a small hole, and this portion is a so-called small hole 23 for service.

Further, the other end of the retainer 17 extends toward the slit portion 21, and a cylindrical boss portion 24 is formed integrally with the steering column 3 at the extending portion thereof so as to be substantially parallel to the steering column 3. I have. The shift lever 2 is rotatably attached to the boss 24.

The shift lever 2 shown in FIG. 1 includes a support portion 25 and a rod portion 26, and the support portion 25 is rotatably fitted to the boss portion 24. In addition, support part 2
5 includes a pair of bearings 27 facing each other in a direction intersecting the axis of the steering column 3, and the lower end of the rod 26 is rotatably supported by the bearings 27. Therefore, shift lever 2
Is configured to be able to perform a shift operation that rotates around the boss portion 24 and a select operation that rotates in a plane orthogonal to the shift operation. The support portion 25 is provided with an operation pin 28 projecting obliquely downward in FIG.

A mounting plate 29 is integrally formed on the outer periphery of the boss portion 24, and a detent plate 30
Has been fixed. The detent plate 30 is for requesting a select operation when switching the shift range, and has a plurality of steps formed on an arc-shaped edge centered on the central axis of the boss 24. In other words, the radius of the step corresponding to the parking (P) range position is the largest around the boss portion 24, and the radius of the step corresponding to the reverse (R) range position adjacent thereto is the next largest, followed by The radius of the step portion corresponding to the neutral (N) range position, the drive (D) range position, and the “2” range position is the smallest, and the radius of the step portion corresponding to the L range position adjacent to the “2” range position. Are set larger than the “2” range position.

Further, a mounting shaft 31 is formed to protrude below the boss 24 in FIG. The lever 32 is attached to the attachment shaft 31 by rotatably fitting an intermediate portion of a lever 32 bent at a predetermined angle. An elongated hole 33 into which the pin 28 is loosely fitted is formed at one end of the lever 32, and a connecting pin 34 is provided upright at the other end. Therefore, the pin 28 causes the lever 32 to rotate with the rotation of the shift lever 2 about the boss 24. The shift range is switched by connecting one end of a cable (each not shown) connected to a manual valve of the automatic transmission to the connection pin 34.

The shift lever 2 is provided with a detent pin (not shown) that slides on the step portion of the detent plate 30. When the shift lever 2 is operated to select, the detent pins are moved to respective positions. It is configured to get over the shoulder. This detent pin is
The operation may be performed by providing a button on the shift lever.

The above-mentioned key cylinder 1 and shift lever 2 are mounted on the steering column 3 as follows. In the steering column tube 4,
A hole 35 for projecting the lock bar 11 is formed, and the upper bracket 9 of the key cylinder 1 is positioned so that the axis of the neck portion 8 and the center of the hole 35 coincide with each other. Are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the. On the other hand, the retainer 17 is provided between the upper bracket 9 and the steering column tube 4.
It is arranged so that it may face. In this state, the thin plate portion 13 of the upper bracket 9 is
1, the axes of the mounting holes 14 and 22 are aligned. Also, the projection 15 of the upper bracket 9 and the projection 18 of the retainer 17 face each other,
6 and the mounting hole 19 have the same axis.

In this state, the mounting hole 2 in the retainer 17 is
The pin 36 is press-fitted from the opening end opposite to the small hole 23 for service. The pin 36 has a length substantially equal to the total length of the mounting holes 14 and 22 having the same axial center, and as shown in FIG. 17 mounting holes 22
Is configured to be closely fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the. Therefore, the upper bracket 9 and the retainer 17 are
As shown in the figure, the hinges are connected in the same manner as the hinges that rotate about the pins 36. However, since the boss 24 and the mounting shaft 31 are integrally provided on the retainer 17, the upper bracket 9 is provided. When the and the retainer 17 are relatively rotated about the pin 36, interference between them occurs, so that the interval between the protruding portions 15 and 18 does not open as much as the outer diameter of the steering column tube 4. Has become.
FIG. 7 shows this state. Note that the thin plate portion 13 and the slit portion 21 connected by the pins 36 in this manner constitute a connection portion in the present invention.

On the other hand, the protruding portions 15 and 18 facing each other are provided with a neck cutting bolt 20 from the mounting hole 19 side of the retainer 17.
Is screwed into the screw hole 16 of the upper bracket 9. The neck cutting bolt 20 is a bolt in which an engaging portion for engaging a tool such as a screwdriver is connected to the head via a weak portion. Therefore, after the head comes into contact with the step portion in the mounting hole 19, by further applying a torque to the engaging portion, the fragile portion can be broken and the engaging portion can be detached from the head. In this state, the head cannot be rotated by a tool such as a screwdriver because the head is buried in the mounting hole 19 and there is no engaging portion.

Even when the bolt 20 is tightened to the maximum, a gap is opened between the protrusion 15 of the upper bracket 9 and the protrusion 18 of the retainer 17. This is because the tightening force of the bolt 20 acts as a load for sandwiching the steering column tube 4 as it is. Accordingly, the reaction force acts on the pin 36 as a shearing force, so that the frictional force between the pin 36 and the mounting holes 14 and 22 increases, and in this state, the pin 36 cannot be removed.

Therefore, the upper bracket 9 and the retainer 17 are connected at one end by the pin 36 and are connected by tightening the other end by the bolt 20 to pinch the steering column tube 4 and It is fixed to. The upper bracket 9 and the retainer 17 are basically fixing members for attaching the key cylinder 1 to the steering column 3, and a boss portion 24 is formed on the retainer 17 which is one of the divided pieces. The shift lever 2 is attached to the steering column 3 by the fixing member of the key cylinder 1 after all.

In the above-described configuration in which the shift lever 2 is attached to the steering column 3 integrally with the key cylinder 1, when the key is removed, the lock bar 11 projects to the inner peripheral side of the steering column tube 4. Since the vehicle engages with the engaging groove 12 of the steering shaft 5, the vehicle is held in a state where the steering shaft 5 is locked and cannot travel. If the lock is released without using a key from this state, the key cylinder 1 is forcibly detached from the steering column tube 3. In this case, a large shearing force is applied to the pin 36 constituting the so-called connecting portion in the present invention, and it is almost impossible to slide the pin 36 in the axial direction to remove it from the mounting holes 14 and 22. is there. Further, even if the connection part by the bolt 20 is broken, the key cylinder 1 cannot be removed from the steering column tube 4 because the upper bracket 9 and the retainer 17 do not open beyond the outer diameter of the steering column tube 4.

If the pin 36 is further removed from this state, the key bracket 1 can be removed from the steering column tube 4 because the upper bracket 9 and the retainer 17 are separated. Therefore lock bar 1
Since the engagement between the steering shaft 1 and the steering shaft 5 is released, the steering becomes possible. However, in the shift device according to the present invention, since the shift lever 2 is attached to the steering column 3 by the fixing member that fixes the key cylinder 1 to the steering column 3, the key cylinder 1 is Column 3
When it is removed from the steering column, the shift lever 2 also comes off the steering column 3 at the same time. Therefore, since the shift lever 2 is not supported, the shift lever 2 cannot be operated, and in the above-described example, the shift from the P range to the range for traveling cannot be performed, and the traveling is eventually blocked. That is, the anti-theft function is achieved by the mounting structure of the shift lever 2.

Further, in the above configuration, since one end of the upper bracket 9 and one end of the retainer 17 are connected by the pin 36, the service workability is improved as described above, and at the same time, the connection by the pin 36 is performed. The portion can be made smaller, and the size and weight can be reduced.

Further, in the above configuration, the key cylinder 1 and the shift lever 2 are mounted at substantially the same position in the axial direction of the steering column 3. The position is a position adjacent to the combination switch 6 described above, and thus various components can be concentrated and arranged at predetermined positions in the axial direction. As a result, even when the driver relatively moves to the front side of the vehicle, it is possible to prevent a part of the body such as the driver's knee from interfering with the shift lever 2 or the like. Become.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show another example of the present invention. In the example shown here, the service small hole 23 constituting the connecting portion in the present invention is configured to be concealed in the P range. That is, the thin plate-shaped lip 3 protruding outward in the radial direction from the center of rotation is provided on the support portion 25 that constitutes a part of the shift lever 2.
8 are provided integrally. The lip 38 is equivalent to the concealing portion in the present invention, and has a length such that when the shift lever 2 is shifted, the tip portion passes through a position covering the small hole 23. Is set. The mounting position is set so that the tip of the lip 38 is positioned on the same axis as the small hole 23 by rotating the shift lever 2 to the P range position.

Therefore, in the state where the P range is set by the shift lever 2, as shown in FIG.
Conceals the service hole 23 in its axial direction. Therefore, the connection structure by the pin 36 cannot be visually recognized from the driver's seat side, and the pin 36 cannot be removed using the small hole 23.
Excellent anti-theft effect.

It should be noted that the present invention only needs to be configured so that the shift lever 2 can be attached to the steering column by attaching the key cylinder 1 to the steering column. It can also be applied to steering wheel vehicles. Examples are shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. FIG.
Is an example in which the boss portion 24 is formed integrally with the key cylinder 1 and the support portion 25 of the shift lever 2 is rotatably attached to the boss portion 24. In such a configuration, the key cylinder 1 is configured such that a retainer 17 obtained by removing a portion related to the shift lever 2 such as the boss portion 24 from the retainer 17 described above is disposed so as to face the upper bracket 9, and the pin 36 and the bolt The key cylinder 1 is attached to the steering column by connecting and integrating them by 20.

In the example shown in FIG. 11, the boss portion 24 for the shift lever 2 is formed integrally with the fixing base plate 39, while a flat mounting seat 40 is formed at a predetermined position on the outer surface of the key cylinder 1. The boss portion 24 is attached to the key cylinder 1 by fixing the base plate 39 to the attachment seat 40 with bolts or pins 41. The support portion 2 of the shift lever 2 is attached to the boss portion 24.
5 is rotatably connected. Also, the structure shown in FIG. 11 is attached to the steering column in the same manner as the structure shown in FIG.

Therefore, even in the configurations shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, since the shift lever 2 is attached to the steering column by attaching the key cylinder 1 to the steering column, the key cylinder 1 is broken. If the vehicle is removed from the steering column for such reasons, the shift lever 2 will lose its support, making it impossible to perform the shift operation. That is, in cases other than the release of the steering lock in a normal state, the shift operation cannot be performed even if the steering operation becomes possible. It will be excellent.

[0036]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, even if the vehicle can be steered or started by removing the key cylinder from the steering column, the shift lever is simultaneously removed from the steering column. As a result, the shift operation cannot be performed due to the lack of the support, and the vehicle cannot be driven after all, so that the anti-theft function can be excellent.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the concealing portion is formed by setting the shift lever to the stop position by setting the connecting portion of each split piece in the fixing member fixing the shift lever to the steering column together with the key cylinder. When the shift lever is operated to the operation position where the vehicle is stopped,
It is difficult to remove the fixed part from the steering column, or the procedure for disassembling the fixed part is not known, so the fixed part can not be removed without proper procedures and tools, so the anti-theft function Excellent.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example in which the present invention is applied to a right-hand drive vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the configuration shown in FIG. 1 with a shift lever removed.

FIG. 3 is a view of the configuration shown in FIG. 1 with a shift lever removed, as viewed from an axial direction of a steering column.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a state where an upper bracket and a retainer are attached to a steering column tube.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view for explaining a press-fit direction of a pin constituting a connecting portion.

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an opening angle between an upper bracket and a retainer.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a structure of a support portion of a shift lever in another example of the present invention.

9 is a view showing a state in which the shift lever of the example shown in FIG. 8 is rotated to a shift position other than the P range.

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view for explaining an example in which the present invention is applied to a left-hand drive vehicle.

FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view for explaining another example in which the present invention is applied to a left-hand drive vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Key cylinder 2 Shift lever 3 Steering column 9 Upper bracket 17 Retainer 20 Bolt 36 Pin 38 Lip

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroki Kimura 4-14-24 Imamotocho, Anjo-shi, Aichi

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A column-type shift device in which a shift lever for shifting operation is mounted on a steering column on which a key cylinder for starting and stopping operation of a vehicle is mounted, wherein the shift lever includes the key cylinder. A column type shift device characterized in that the column type shift device is rotatably mounted on the steering column by a fixing member which fixes the device to the steering column. 2. The fixed member is constituted by a plurality of divided pieces which are connected to each other and surround the steering column, and wherein the split piece is operated when the shift lever is operated to a shift position for setting a vehicle to a stop state. 2. A column-type shift device according to claim 1, wherein a concealing portion for concealing a connecting portion of the shift lever is formed on the shift lever.