JPH115454A - Shift lever device for transmission - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shift lever device for a transmission which can reduce the operation scope of the shift lever as low as possible. SOLUTION: In a shift lever device which has a shift lever 29 composed movable to reciprocate; a transmitting mechanism shift cable lever 23 to convert the shift range by transmitting the operation force of the shift lever 29 to an automatic gear; and a shift cable 24; a shift gear 16 to transmit the operation force by the rotation, to the transmitting route of the operation force of the shift lever 29 and the automatic gear; and locking claws 31 and 32 which connects the transmitting route being engaged to the shift gear 16 when the shift lever 29 moves in one direction, while cut off the transmitting route by releasing the engagement with the shift gear 18 when the shift lever 29 moves in the other direction; are provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shift lever device for manually changing a shift range of a transmission of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a shift lever device for changing a shift range of a transmission of a vehicle, there is a so-called floor shift type shift device disposed between left and right front seats in a vehicle interior. However, when a shift lever device of a floor shift type is employed, the shift lever is arranged to protrude between the left and right front seats, and the comfort is reduced.

An example of a shift lever device for addressing the above-mentioned problem is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-173432.
No., published in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. In the shift lever device described in this publication, the shift lever is attached to the instrument panel. This shift lever
It is arranged so as to protrude from the instrument panel toward the driver's seat, and is configured to be operable with the support portion as a fulcrum. Further, a transmission wire connecting the shift lever and the transmission is arranged.

According to the shift lever device described in the above publication, since the components of the shift lever device are not disposed on the front seat side, there is an advantage that the livability in the room is improved.

[0005]

However, in the above conventional example, the shift lever and the transmission are directly connected by a transmission wire. For this reason, the operating position of the shift lever must be set separately for each shift range of the transmission, and the operating range of the shift lever has been increased as much as possible. As a result, there has been a problem that the mounting position of the shift lever with respect to the instrument panel is restricted and the shape of the structural members around the shift lever is restricted. Further, in order to achieve the entire shift range, the shift lever must be operated over a wide range, and the operation of the shift lever is troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a shift lever device for a transmission capable of reducing the operating range of the shift lever as much as possible.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 comprises a shift lever and a transmission mechanism for transmitting an operation force of the shift lever to a transmission to change a shift range. A shift lever device comprising: a movable member having engaging teeth in a transmission path of an operating force between the shift lever and the transmission; and a moving member having an engaging tooth when the shift lever is operated in one direction. And an engagement member for transmitting an operating force in combination with the engaging teeth and disengaging the engaging force when the shift lever is operated in the other direction. .

According to the first aspect of the invention, when the shift lever is operated in one direction, the engaging member and the engaging teeth are engaged, and the operating force of the shift lever is transmitted via the movable member to the transmission. And the shift range is changed. When the shift lever is operated in the other direction, the engagement between the engagement member and the engagement teeth is released. That is, the shift range of the transmission is changed by reciprocating the shift lever within a predetermined range, and the operation range of the shift lever is suppressed as much as possible. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the mounting position of the shift lever and the degree of freedom of the shape of the surrounding structural members are expanded. Also,
Since the operation range of the shift lever is suppressed as much as possible, operability is improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a return mechanism is provided for automatically returning the shift lever to a fixed position when the operation force on the shift lever is released. It is characterized by.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the same effect as in the first aspect is obtained, and the shift lever is automatically returned to the home position, so that the amount of protrusion of the shift lever is suppressed as much as possible. The fixed position can be set as follows. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the contact between the shift lever and the occupant during a vehicle collision. In addition, when the shift lever is stopped at a fixed position, the operation of changing the shift range is awaited, so that when the next shift range is changed, the operation amount of the shift lever is suppressed as much as possible. The properties are further improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect, a switching mechanism for controlling engagement / disengagement of the engagement teeth with the engagement member is provided. I do.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the same operation as the first or second aspect can be obtained, and when the engagement between the engaging member and the engaging teeth is released, the operation of the shift lever is performed. Is performed independently without being disturbed by the gears. Therefore, even when the occupant comes into contact with the shift lever at the time of the vehicle collision, the impact due to the contact is reduced.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cabin A1 of a vehicle. The instrument panel 1 is arranged at a position facing the room A1. Further, a front seat 2 is arranged behind the instrument panel 1. A steering wheel 3 and a meter panel 4 are attached to the instrument panel 1.

A shift lever device 5 is arranged from inside the instrument panel 1 to outside the room A1.
Hereinafter, the configuration of the shift lever device 5 will be specifically described.
FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the instrument panel 1, and a frame 6 is disposed in the inside B <b> 1 of the instrument panel 1. A shift lever base 7 is fixed to the frame 6 by bolts 8 and nuts 9. As shown in FIG. 3, the shift lever base 7 includes a substrate 10 and a pair of side plates 11 and 12 connected to both sides of the substrate 10 at substantially right angles.

Cylindrical members 13 and 14 facing each other are separately fixed to the pair of side plates 11 and 12. A shaft 15 is rotatably inserted into the cylindrical members 13 and 14. A shift gear 16 is fixed to the shaft 15. A plurality of teeth 17 to 22 are formed on the outer periphery of the shift gear 16. The shaft 15 has a shift cable lever 2
One end of 3 is fixed. Further, a shift cable 24 is rotatably connected to the other end of the shift cable lever 23.

On the other hand, the pair of side plates 11 and 12 are formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape, and the upper side thereof is disposed in the opening 25 of the instrument panel 1. Cylindrical members 26 and 27 facing each other are separately fixed to the upper sides of the pair of side plates 11 and 12. Cylindrical member 26,
A shaft 28 is rotatably inserted inside 27.

A shift lever 29 is fixed to the shaft 28,
One end of the shift lever 29 is arranged on the room A1 side, and the other end of the shift lever 29 is arranged inside the instrument panel 1 inside B1. A substantially rectangular recess 30 is formed at an end of the shift lever 29 on the shift gear 16 side. A pair of locking claws 31, 32 are arranged in the recess 30, and the pair of locking claws 31, 32 are rotatably supported on support shafts 33, 34. Then, the free ends of the pair of locking claws 31 and 32 are directed to the shift gear 16 side,
The free ends of the pair of locking claws 31 and 32 are set to a length which can be separately engaged and released with the plurality of teeth 17 and 22 of the shift gear 16.

A shaft 30A is provided in the recess 30.
A torsion coil spring 30B is attached to the shaft 30A. And the locking portion 31A of the torsion coil spring 30B
Is pressed against the locking claw 31, and the torsion coil spring 30B
Is pressed against the locking claw 32. Further, the recess 30 is formed with inner walls 30C parallel to each other. The pair of locking claws 31 and 32 are pressed against the inner wall 30C of the recess 30 by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 30B. Then, the locking claws 31 and 32 come into contact with the inner wall 30C and stop. Therefore, the pair of locking claws 31 and 32 are maintained in a state parallel to each other. When the pair of locking claws 31 and 32 are stopped, a predetermined gap (backlash) exists between the teeth 19 and the pair of locking claws 31 and 32.
Is set.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. A torsion coil spring 35 is attached to the shaft 28, and the locking portions 36 and 37 of the torsion coil spring 35 are arranged toward the shift gear 16 side. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, a cylindrical collar 38 is mounted on the shaft 28, and a torsion coil spring 35 is wound between the collar 38 and the cylindrical member 27. That is, the torsion coil spring 35 is positioned in the length direction of the shaft 28 by the cylindrical member 27 and the collar 38.

Pins 39 and 40 project from the side surface of the shift lever 29 on the side plate 12 side. The pins 39, 40 are arranged between the locking portions 36, 37 of the torsion coil spring 35, and the pins 39, 40 are separately abutted on the locking portions 36, 37. Also, the side plate 12
, The pins 41, 4
2 are formed to protrude. These pins 41 and 42
The pins 41, 42 are arranged between the locking portions 36, 37 of the torsion coil spring 35, and the pins 41, 42 are separately in contact with the locking portions 36, 37.

A shift knob 43 is formed at the end of the shift lever 29 on the room A1 side. A boot 44 is mounted on the room A1 side of the instrument panel 1, and a part of the shift lever 29 and a part of the shift lever base 7 are arranged in the boot 44. Thus, the opening 25 of the instrument panel 1 and the shift lever base 7 are covered with the boot 44.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the automatic transmission 45 controlled by the shift lever device 5. As shown in FIG. The automatic transmission 45 is a known automatic transmission including a gear transmission mechanism (not shown) for setting a shift speed, and a friction engagement device (not shown) for switching a torque transmission path of the gear transmission mechanism.
The automatic transmission 45 includes, for example, a parking (P) range, a reverse (R) range, a neutral (N) range, a forward drive (D) range, and a second forward speed (2) range. And the first forward speed (L) range. Each of these shift ranges is changed by a manual valve (not shown) operated by rotation of the shaft 46. Further, inside the automatic transmission 45, a rotation restricting mechanism (not shown) for restricting the rotation of the shaft 46 in the setting state of each shift range.
Is provided. The shift cable 24 is connected to the shaft 46 via a link 47.

A shift range switch 48 is attached to the automatic transmission 45, and the shift range switch 48 has a plurality of contacts (not shown) corresponding to each of the shift ranges. Then, a signal is output from the connected contact among the plurality of contacts, and this signal is input to the electronic control unit 49. This electronic control unit 49
Is an automatic transmission 4 based on a signal input from each contact.
5 is determined and the shift range is controlled to be displayed on the indicator 50 of the meter panel 4.

Here, the correspondence between the configuration of the above embodiment and the configuration of the claims will be described. That is, the shift gear 16 corresponds to the movable member of claim 1, and the shift cable lever 23
The shift cable 24 and the link 27 correspond to the transmission mechanism of claim 1, the pair of locking claws 31, 32 correspond to the engaging member of claim 1, and the torsion coil spring 30B corresponds to the return of claim 2. It corresponds to a mechanism.

Next, the operation of the shift lever device 5 having the above configuration will be described. When the automatic transmission 45 is set in the neutral range, the rotation position of the shift gear 16 is set so that the teeth 19 are located between the locking claws 31 and the locking claws 32.

Here, when the operating force is not applied to the shift lever 29, as shown in FIG. 4, the pin 39 comes into contact with the locking portion 36 of the torsion coil spring 35, and the pin 40 is twisted. Abuts on the locking portion 37 of the coil spring 35. For this reason, the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 35 is
The shift lever 29 is stopped at a fixed position.

When the shift range of the automatic transmission 45 is changed to the forward drive range, the shift lever 29 is moved to the forward drive range in FIG.
In the direction of arrow D1. Then, the shift lever 29
Rotates clockwise about the shaft 28, and the locking claws 32 engage the teeth 19. Here, since the rotation of the locking claw 32 in the counterclockwise direction is restricted by the inner wall 30 </ b> C, the operating force of the shift lever 29 is applied to the shift gear 16 via the locking claw 32.
Is transmitted to As a result, the shift gear 16 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. Thereafter, the locking claw 31 comes out from between the teeth 18 and the teeth 19, and further, the engagement between the locking claw 32 and the teeth 19 is released.

The rotation of the shift gear 16 is transmitted to the shift cable 24 via the shift cable lever 23, and the operation of the shift cable 24 is transmitted to the shaft 46 via the link 47. Thus, the shift range of the automatic transmission 45 is changed from the neutral range to the forward drive range. When the shift range is changed to the forward drive range, a signal is output from the inhibitor switch 48, and this signal is transmitted to the electronic control unit 49. Then, the display of the indicator 50 is changed from the neutral range to the forward drive range.

By the way, as described above, the shift lever 29
6 is operated in the direction of arrow D1 in FIG. 2, as shown in FIG.
Stopped in contact with 1. Further, a pressing force acts on the locking portion 37 of the torsion coil spring 35 from the pin 40.
For this reason, the torsion coil spring 35 is expanded as a whole,
The shift lever 29 is moved by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 35.
Are biased clockwise.

The driver visually checks the indicator 50 to confirm that it has been changed to the forward drive range, and then releases his hand from the shift lever 29. When the operation force on the shift lever 29 is released, the shift lever 29 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2 (clockwise in FIG. 6) by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 35.

Then, the locking claw 32 passes outside the tooth 20 and enters between the tooth 20 and the tooth 21. Here, when the locking claw 32 comes into contact with the outer periphery of the teeth 20, the locking claw 32 moves clockwise in FIG. 2 around the support shaft 34 as a fulcrum due to the reaction force, so that only the shift lever 29 rotates. , The shift gear 16 is kept stopped. When the contact resistance is eliminated, the locking claw 32 is moved to the torsion coil spring 3.
0B, the inner wall 3 is rotated clockwise in FIG.
Stops upon contact with 0C. Note that the locking claw 31 is
And between the teeth 20.

In this manner, the locking claw 31 and the locking claw 32
And the teeth 20 are positioned between the two. Then, the shift lever 2 is moved from the locking portions 36 and 37 of the torsion coil spring 35.
When the elastic forces acting on 9 cancel each other out,
The shift lever 29 stops at a fixed position.

When the shift range of the automatic transmission 45 is changed to the second forward speed range or the first forward speed range, the operation of reciprocating while holding the shift lever 29 is repeated, and the shift gear 16 is moved to the position shown in FIG. May be rotated counterclockwise.

On the other hand, when changing the shift range of the automatic transmission 45 from the neutral range to the reverse range, the shift lever 29 is operated in the direction of arrow C1 in FIG. Then, the shift lever 29 rotates counterclockwise about the shaft 28, and the locking claw 31 engages with the teeth 19. Here, since the rotation of the locking claw 31 in the clockwise direction is restricted by the inner wall 30C, the shift gear 16 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. Thereafter, the locking claw 32 comes out of the space between the teeth 19 and the teeth 20 and further the locking claw 3
The engagement between 1 and the teeth 19 is released.

The rotation of the shift gear 16 changes the shift range of the automatic transmission 45 from the neutral range to the reverse range. When the shift range is changed to the reverse range, the display of the indicator 50 is changed from the neutral range to the reverse range.

By the way, when the shift lever 29 is operated in the direction of arrow C1 in FIG. 2, the locking portion 37 of the torsion coil spring 35 is stopped by the contact of the pin 42 as shown in FIG. I have. In addition, the torsion coil spring 3
The pressing force acts on the locking portion 36 of No. 5. For this reason, the torsion coil spring 35 is expanded as a whole, and the shift lever 29 is urged counterclockwise in FIG. 7 by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 35.

Then, the driver visually confirms that the indicator 50 has been changed to the reverse range, and then releases his hand from the shift lever 29. When the operating force on the shift lever 29 is released, the shift lever 29 rotates clockwise in FIG. 2 (counterclockwise in FIG. 6) by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 35.

Then, the locking claws 31 pass outside the teeth 18 and enter between the teeth 17. Here, when the locking claw 31 comes into contact with the outer periphery of the tooth 18, the locking claw 31 moves counterclockwise in FIG. 2 around the support shaft 33 as a fulcrum due to contact resistance, so that only the shift lever 29 rotates. , The shift gear 16 is kept stopped. Then, when the contact resistance is eliminated, the locking claw 31 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 2 by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 30B, comes into contact with the inner wall 30C and stops. Note that the locking claw 32 is
8 and between the teeth 19.

In this manner, the locking claws 31 and the locking claws 32
And the teeth 18 are located between them. Then, the shift lever 2 is moved from the locking portions 36 and 37 of the torsion coil spring 35.
When the elastic forces acting on 9 cancel each other out,
As shown in FIG. 4, the shift lever 29 stops at a fixed position.

The shift range of the automatic transmission 45 is set to a parking range or a forward second speed range or a forward first speed range.
When changing to the speed range, the reciprocating operation of the shift lever 29 may be repeated a plurality of times.

As described above, in the above embodiment, when the shift lever 29 is operated in one direction, the shift lever 2
The operating force of No. 9 is transmitted to the shift gear 16 via the locking claw 31 or the locking claw 32, and the shift range of the automatic transmission 45 is changed. When the shift lever 29 is operated in the other direction, the operation force of the shift lever 29 is shut off,
The shift gear 16 does not rotate. That is, a pair of locking claws 3
1, 32 function as a so-called ratchet mechanism.

For this reason, the shift lever 29 is reciprocated repeatedly within a predetermined range. In this embodiment, the shift lever 29
Is operated by one stroke, each shift range of the automatic transmission 35 is sequentially achieved, and the operation range (rotation angle) of the shift lever 29 is suppressed as much as possible. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the mounting position of the shift lever 29 with respect to the instrument panel 1 and the degree of freedom of the shape of the surrounding structural members are increased. As a result, the opening shape of the opening 25 of the instrument panel 1 can be made as small as possible, and the design function is improved. Further, since the rotation angle of the shift lever 29 about the shaft 28 as a fulcrum is suppressed as much as possible, operability is improved.

Further, in this embodiment, when the operating force on the shift lever 29 is released after the shift range is changed, the shift lever 29 is automatically brought into the home position by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 35. Return and stop. That is, the shift lever 29 stops at the home position, and enters a standby state for a shift range changing operation. Therefore, the amount of operation when the shift range is changed next time is suppressed as much as possible, and the operability of the shift lever is further improved.

Also, since the shift lever 29 automatically returns to the home position, the amount of protrusion toward the front seat 2 when the shift lever 29 is stopped at the home position is suppressed as much as possible. The position can be set. Therefore, at the time of a vehicle collision, contact between the occupant and the shift lever 29 can be suppressed as much as possible.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the shift lever device 5 of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. A shaft 28 is rotatably supported by the side plate 12, and a shift lever 51 is fixed to the shaft 28. Most of the shift lever 51 is arranged on the room A1 side, and a part of the shift lever 51 is arranged inside the instrument panel 1 inside B1. The shift lever 51 is
It is configured by combining two divided bodies 51A and 51B divided in the width direction.

A shift rod insertion hole 52 is formed in the shift lever 51 in the longitudinal direction, and one open end of the shift rod insertion hole 52 faces the shift gear 16 side. A storage chamber 53 is formed at the end of the shift lever 51 on the indoor A1 side. The storage chamber 53 is communicated with the shift rod insertion hole 52. In addition, storage room 5
3 is provided with an opening 54 that opens to the end of the shift lever 51.

The shift rod 55 is arranged movably in the longitudinal direction across the shift rod insertion hole 52 and the storage chamber 52. The shift rod 55
Of the shift rod 52 from the inside to the outside of the shift rod 52. A spherical portion 56 is formed at an end of the shift rod 55 on the shift gear 16 side. The outer diameter of the spherical portion 56 is set to a value that can be inserted between the teeth of the shift gear 16.

The storage chamber 5 of the shift rod 55
A knob button 57 is formed at the end on the third side. A part of the knob button 57 is exposed to the room A1 through the opening 54. Further, a compression spring 58 is disposed in the storage chamber 53, and the knob button 57 is pressed toward the opening 54 by the elastic force of the compression spring 58.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, a torsion coil spring 59 is attached to the shaft 28. Further, pins 60 and 61 are formed on the shift lever 51 along the longitudinal direction. The pin 60 abuts on the locking portion 62 of the torsion coil spring 59, and the locking portion 6 of the torsion coil spring 59
A pin 61 is in contact with 3. That is, the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 59 acts on the pins 60 and 61, the mutual elastic force is canceled, and the shift lever 51 is stopped at the fixed position. Further, a pair of pins 64 and 65 are formed on the side plate 12, and the pins 64 abut against the locking portions 62, and
Are in contact with the locking portion 63. Other configurations are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIGS.

Here, the correspondence between the configuration of the embodiment of FIGS. 8 to 11 and the configuration of the claims will be described. That is, the ball portion 56 corresponds to the engaging member of claim 1 or claim 3,
The torsion coil spring 59 corresponds to the return mechanism of claim 2,
The knob button 57, the compression spring 58, and the shift rod 55 correspond to the switching mechanism of the third aspect.

Next, the operation of the shift lever device 5 shown in FIGS. 8 to 11 will be described. First, when no external force is applied to the knob button 57, the shift rod 55 is pressed toward the opening 54 by the elastic force of the compression spring 58 and stopped. When the shift rod 55 is stopped, the engagement between the ball portion 56 and the shift gear 16 is released. Further, the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 59 acts on the pins 60 and 61, and the mutual elastic force is canceled, so that the shift lever 51 is stopped at a fixed position.

Here, when changing the automatic transmission 45 from the neutral range to the forward drive range, the knob button 57 is pressed, and the shift rod 55 is moved toward the shift gear 16 against the elastic force of the compression spring 58. Then
The ball portion 56 and the shift gear 16 are engaged. Then, when the shift lever 51 is operated in the direction of arrow D1 in FIG. 8, the operating force of the shift lever 51 is transmitted to the shift gear 16 via the shift rod 55. For this reason, the shift gear 16
Is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 8 about the shaft 15, and the shift range of the automatic transmission 45 is changed to the forward drive range.

When the shift lever 51 is operated in the direction of arrow D1 in FIG. 8, the locking portion 63 of the torsion coil spring 59 comes into contact with the pin 65 and stops as shown in FIG. I have. Also, the torsion coil spring 3
The pressing force acts on the locking portion 62 of No. 5. Therefore, the torsion coil spring 59 is expanded as a whole, and a rotational force in the clockwise direction in FIG.

Then, after achieving the forward drive range,
When the operating force on the shift lever 51 is released, the shift rod 55 is moved by the elastic force of the compression spring 58 so that the opening 54 is opened.
Move to the side. Then, the engagement between the ball portion 56 and the shift gear 16 is released. Also, due to the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 59, the shift lever 51 is moved counterclockwise in FIG.
0 clockwise). As a result, the shift lever 51 automatically returns to the home position and stops.

On the other hand, when changing the automatic transmission 45 from the neutral range to the reverse range, the knob button 5
7 is pushed to engage the ball portion 56 with the shift gear 16.
Then, when the shift lever 51 is operated in the direction of arrow C1 in FIG. 8, the shift gear 16 rotates clockwise in FIG. As a result, the shift range of the automatic transmission 45 is changed from the neutral range to the reverse range.

When the shift lever 51 is operated in the direction of arrow C1 in FIG. 8 as described above, as shown in FIG.
The locking portion 62 of the torsion coil spring 59 is stopped by the contact of the pin 64. In addition, the rotation of the shift lever 51 applies a pressing force from the pin 61 to the locking portion 63 of the torsion coil spring 59. Therefore, a rotational force in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 11 acts on the shift lever 51 by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 59. Referring to FIG. 8, a clockwise rotational force acts on the shift lever 51.

Therefore, when the operation force on the shift lever 51 is released after the reverse range is achieved, the shift rod 55 moves toward the opening 54, and the engagement between the ball 56 and the shift gear 16 is released. As a result, the shift lever 51 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 8 by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 59, returns to the home position, and stops.

As described above, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, when the shift lever 51 moves in a predetermined range in one direction, the operating force of the shift lever 51 is automatically shifted via the shift gear 16. Machine 45. When the shift lever 51 moves to the other side within a predetermined range, the operating force of the shift lever 51 is not transmitted to the shift gear 16.

Therefore, each shift range of the automatic transmission 45 is achieved by repeatedly reciprocating the shift lever 51 within a predetermined range, and the operating range (rotation angle) of the shift lever 51 is suppressed as much as possible. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the mounting position of the shift lever 51 with respect to the instrument panel 1 and the degree of freedom of the shape of the surrounding structural members are increased. Further, the opening shape of the opening 25 of the instrument panel 1 can be made as small as possible, and the design function is improved. Further, since the rotation angle of the shift lever 51 about the shaft 28 as a fulcrum is suppressed as much as possible, operability is improved.

Further, in this embodiment, when the operating force on the shift lever 51 is canceled after the shift range is changed, the shift lever 51 is automatically set to the home position by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 59. Return and stop. That is, the shift lever 51 stops at the home position, and enters a standby state for a shift range changing operation. Therefore, the operation amount when the shift range is changed next time is suppressed as much as possible, and the operability of the shift lever 51 is further improved.

Further, since the shift lever 51 is returned to the home position, the home position is set so that the amount of protrusion toward the front seat 2 is minimized when the shift lever 51 is stopped at the home position. Can be set. Therefore, at the time of a vehicle collision, it is possible to suppress contact between the occupant and the shift lever 51 as much as possible.

Further, when no external force is applied to the knob button 57, the engagement between the shift gear 16 and the ball portion 56 is maintained in a released state. In this state, the operation of the shift lever 51 is not hindered by the shift gear 16. Therefore, even when the occupant comes into contact with the shift lever 51 at the time of a vehicle collision, the shift lever 51 operates alone to reduce the impact due to the contact.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are cross-sectional views showing another example of the structure of the shift lever device 5, and FIGS.
FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 13. In this embodiment, a shift lever base 99 is fixed to the frame 6. The shift lever base 99 includes a substrate 100,
A pair of side plates 101 connected to the substrate 100 at a substantially right angle,
102. The board 100 is fixed to the frame 6 by bolts 8 and nuts 9.

A shaft 103 is fixed across the side plates 101 and 102, and a shift cable lever plate 104 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 103. The shift cable lever plate 104 has a substantially fan shape, and has a guide hole 105. Also,
Teeth 106 to 110 are formed facing the guide hole 105. Also, between the teeth 106 to 110,
An engagement groove 111 or an engagement groove 116 is formed. The shift cable lever 23 is connected to the shift cable lever plate 104, and the shift cable lever 2
A shift cable 24 is connected to 3.

Further, the shift lever 1 is
17 is rotatably mounted. Shift lever 1
17, a shift rod storage chamber 118 is formed,
A shift rod 119 is provided in the shift rod storage chamber 118.
Are movably arranged in the longitudinal direction. An opening 120 is formed at a free end of the shift lever 117.

A knob button 121 is formed at an end of the shift rod 119 on the side of the opening 120. The compression spring 12 is provided inside the shift rod storage chamber 118.
The knob button 121 is pressed toward the opening 120 by the elastic force of the compression spring 122. Then, the step portion of the knob button 121 is in contact with the opening 120 of the shift lever 117, and the shift rod 119 is stopped.

On the other hand, the shaft 10 of the shift rod 119
On the third side, a shift lock pin 123 is formed substantially orthogonal to the axis of the shift rod 119. An opening 124 is formed in the shift lever 117 in the length direction,
The shift lock pin 123 is exposed outside the shift lever 117 via the opening 124. The tip of the shift lock pin 123 is arranged in the guide hole 115.

The side plate 10 of the shift lever 117
On one side surface, a pair of pins 125 and 126 are formed in the width direction of the shift lever 117. Also, the side plate 10
1, a shaft 127 is provided on a side surface of the shift lever 117 side.
Are formed. The shaft 127 has a pair of pins 125, 1
It is arranged at a position closer to the axis 103 than 26. A torsion coil spring 128 is attached to the shaft 127. Further, a pair of pins 129, 13
0 is formed. The pair of pins 129 and 130 are disposed between the shaft 127 and the pair of pins 125 and 126. The locking portion 131 of the torsion coil spring 128
Are in contact with the pins 129 and 125, and the locking portion 132 of the torsion coil spring 128 is in contact with the pins 130 and 126. That is, the two-directional elastic force of the torsion coil spring 128 acts on the shift lever 117, and the mutual elastic force is canceled out, so that the shift lever 1
17 is stopped at a fixed position substantially orthogonal to the substrate 99.

Here, the correspondence between the configuration of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 to 16 and the configuration of the claims will be described.
That is, the shift cable lever plate 104 corresponds to the movable member of claim 1 or 3, the shift lock pin 123 corresponds to the engaging member of claim 1, and the torsion coil spring 128 corresponds to the return of claim 2. The knob button 121 and the compression spring 122 correspond to a switching mechanism.

Next, the operation of the shift lever device 5 shown in FIGS. 12 to 16 will be described. First, the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 128 acts on both the pins 125 and 126, and the mutual elastic force is canceled out, so that the shift lever 117 is stopped at a fixed position. When no external force is applied to the knob button 121, the shift rod 119 is pressed toward the opening 120 by the elastic force of the compression spring 122 and stopped. Therefore, the shift lock pin 123,
The engagement with the plurality of teeth 106 to 110 is released.

Here, when changing the shift range of the automatic transmission 45, the user pushes the knob button 121 and presses the compression spring 1
The shift rod 119 is moved toward the shaft 103 against the elastic force of the shaft 22. Then, the shift lock pin 123 enters the engagement groove, and the shift lock pin 123 and the teeth are engaged.

Next, when the shift lever 117 is operated in the direction of arrow D1 in FIGS. 12 and 15, the shift cable lever plate 104 is rotated clockwise about the shaft 103. Shift cable lever plate 104
Is transmitted to the shaft 46 via the shift cable lever 23 and the shift cable 24. As a result, the shift range of the automatic transmission 45 is changed to another shift range.

By the way, as described above, the shift lever 11
7 is operated in the direction of arrow D1 in FIG.
Since 29 is in contact with the locking portion 131 of the torsion coil spring 128, the locking portion 131 is maintained in a stopped state. On the other hand, the rotation of the shift lever 117 causes the pin 126 to rotate.
Then, a pressing force acts on the locking portion 132 of the torsion coil spring 128, and the locking portion 132 moves in a direction away from the locking portion 131. For this reason, in FIG. 15, a counterclockwise rotating force is acting on the shift lever 117 from the locking portion 132.

On the other hand, when the hand is released from the shift lever 117 after the shift range is changed, the shift rod 119 is moved toward the opening 120 by the elastic force of the compression spring 122. Therefore, the engagement between the shift lock pin 123 and the teeth is released. In synchronization with this operation, the torsion coil spring 1
The shift lever 117 is rotated counterclockwise in FIGS. 12 and 15 by the elastic force of 28. As a result, the shift lever 117 returns to the home position and stops.

Next, a case where the shift range of the automatic transmission 45 is changed by operating the shift lever 117 in the direction of the arrow C1 in FIGS. 12 and 16 by the same operation as described above will be described. In this case, since the pin 130 is in contact with the locking portion 132 of the torsion coil spring 128, the locking portion 132 is maintained in a stopped state. Further, the rotation of the shift lever 117 applies a pressing force from the pin 125 to the locking portion 131 of the torsion coil spring 128. Therefore, the torsion coil spring 128 is expanded as a whole, and a clockwise rotational force acts on the shift lever 117.

When the operating force on the shift lever 117 is lost after the shift range is changed, the shift lever 117 is rotated clockwise by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 128, returns to the home position, and stops.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 12 to 16,
By operating the shift lever 117 only once in one direction, the set shift range can be changed to another shift range. In this case, an operation is performed in which the shift lock pin 123 engaged with a predetermined tooth jumps over a plurality of teeth and engages with another tooth.

The shift range can be changed to another shift range by reciprocating the shift lever 117. In this case, the shift lock pin 123 engaged with the predetermined tooth is engaged with the adjacent tooth, the shift lever 117 is operated, and then the operation of releasing the engagement between the shift lock pin 123 and the tooth is performed. Is repeated.

Further, when changing the shift range,
In the embodiment of FIGS. 12 to 16, two operating methods are possible. The first operation method is to first push the knob button 121 to cause the shift lock pin 123 to enter the engagement groove, and then operate the shift lever 117 to change the shift range. The second operation method is to first operate the shift lever 117 to a predetermined position, and then push the knob button 123 to cause the shift lock pin 123 to enter the engagement groove, and then operate the shift lever 117 to the predetermined position. This is to change the shift range.

As described above, in the embodiment of FIGS. 12 to 16, if the shift lever 117 is reciprocated within a predetermined range, the shift range of the automatic transmission 45 can be changed for each reciprocating operation. The operation range (rotation angle) of the lever 117 is suppressed as much as possible. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the mounting position of the shift lever 117 and the degree of freedom of the shape of the surrounding structural members are expanded.

Further, in this embodiment, when the operating force on the shift lever 117 is canceled after the shift range is changed, the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 128 causes
The shift lever 117 automatically returns to the home position and stops. That is, the shift lever 117 stops at the fixed position,
The shift range change standby state is set. Therefore, the amount of operation for changing the shift range to be performed next is suppressed as much as possible, and the operability of the shift lever 117 is further improved.

Further, since the shift lever 117 automatically returns to the home position, it is possible to set the home position where the amount of protrusion is suppressed as much as possible while the shift lever 117 is stopped at the home position. . Therefore, at the time of a vehicle collision, contact between the occupant and the shift lever 117 can be suppressed as much as possible.

Further, when no external force acts on the knob button 117, the engagement between the shift lock pin 123 and the teeth is released. In this state, the operation of the shift lever 117 is not hindered by the teeth. Therefore, when the occupant comes into contact with the shift lever at the time of the collision of the vehicle, the shift lever 117 moves alone, and the impact due to the contact is reduced.

FIGS. 17 and 18 are cross-sectional views showing another example of the structure of the shift lever device 5, and FIGS.
It is sectional drawing in the XIX-XIX line of FIG. In this embodiment, a shift lever base 66 is fixed to the frame 6. The shift lever base 66 includes a substrate 67 and a pair of side plates 68 and 69 connected to the substrate 67 at substantially right angles. The board 67 is fixed to the frame 6 by bolts 8 and nuts 9.

The side plate 67 and the side plate 68 are provided with a shaft 77.
Is fixed, and a shift cable lever plate 70 is rotatably attached to the shaft 77. The shift cable lever plate 70 has a substantially fan shape,
The shift cable lever plate 70 has a lock hole 71
To 76 are arranged in an arc shape. The shift cable lever plate 70 has the shift cable lever 2
3 is connected, and the shift cable lever 23 is connected to the shift cable 24.

Further, the shift lever 78 with respect to the shaft 77
Is rotatably mounted. A shift rod storage chamber 79 is formed inside the shift lever 78, and a shift rod 80 is arranged in the shift rod storage chamber 79 so as to be movable in the length direction thereof. An opening 81 is formed at the free end of the shift lever 78.

The opening 8 in the shift rod 80
A knob button 82 is formed at one end. A compression spring 83 is disposed inside the shift rod storage chamber 79, and the knob button 82 is pressed toward the opening 81 by the elastic force of the compression spring 83. And the knob button 82
Is in contact with the opening 81 of the shift lever 78, and the shift rod 80 is stopped.

On the other hand, an inclined surface 84 that is inclined with respect to the axis of the shift rod 80 is formed at the end of the shift rod 80 on the shaft 77 side. Also, the shift lever 78
, A sub rod storage chamber 85 substantially orthogonal to the shift rod storage chamber 79 is formed. Sub rod storage room 85
, A sub-rod 86 is disposed so as to be movable in its length direction. That is, the shift rod 80 and the sub rod 85 can be relatively moved substantially orthogonally.

Further, an inclined surface 87 that is inclined with respect to the axis of the sub rod is formed at the end of the sub rod 86 on the shift rod 80 side. Further, the sub rod storage chamber 85 has an opening 88 that opens to the shift cable lever plate 70 side. The opening 88 is arranged at a position facing the shift cable lever plate 70. A shift lock pin 89 formed at the end of the sub rod 86 is inserted into the opening 88.

The outer diameter of the shift lock pin 89 is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the sub rod 86. The outer diameter of the shift lock pin 89 is set to be smaller than the opening diameter of the opening 88. Further, a compression spring 90 is disposed inside the sub rod storage chamber 85, and the sub rod 86 is pressed toward the shift rod 80 by the elastic force of the compression spring 90. As a result, the inclined surface 87 of the sub rod 86 and the shift rod 8
0 is in contact with the inclined surface 84.

On the other hand, a pair of pins 91 and 92 are formed on the side surface of the shift lever 78 on the side plate 67 side in the width direction of the shift lever 78. A shaft 93 is formed on a side surface of the side plate 67 on the shift lever 78 side. A torsion coil spring 94 is attached to the shaft 93. Further, a pair of pins 95 and 96 are attached to the side plate 67.
Are formed. The locking portion 97 of the torsion coil spring 94 is in contact with the pins 95 and 91, and the locking portion 98 is in contact with the pins 96 and 92.
That is, the two-directional elastic force of the torsion coil spring 94 acts on the shift lever 78, the mutual elastic force is canceled, and the shift lever 78 stops at a fixed position substantially orthogonal to the substrate 67. I have.

Next, the operation of the shift lever device 5 shown in FIGS. 17 to 21 will be described. First, the torsion coil spring 9
The elastic force of No. 4 acts on both the pins 91 and 92, and the mutual elastic force is cancelled, so that the shift lever 78 is stopped at the fixed position. When no external force is applied to the knob button 82, the shift rod 80
Is stopped by being pressed to the opening 81 side. Further, the sub-rod 86 is pressed against the shift rod 80 by the elastic force of the compression spring 90 and stops. Therefore, the engagement between the shift lock pin 89 and the lock hole is released.

Here, to change the shift range of the automatic transmission 45, the user pushes the knob button 82 and presses the compression spring 83
The shift rod 80 is moved to the shaft 77 side against the elastic force of. Then, a component force acts on the inclined surface 87 of the sub-rod 86 from the inclined surface 84 of the shift rod 80, and the sub-rod 86 moves toward the opening 88 by the component force.
As a result, the shift lock pin 89 is engaged with one of the lock holes.

Next, when the shift lever 78 is operated in the direction of arrow D1 in FIGS. 17 and 20, the shift cable lever plate 70 is rotated clockwise about the shaft 77. As a result, the shift range of the automatic transmission 45 is changed.

By the way, as described above, the shift lever 78
Is operated in the direction of arrow D1 in FIG. 20, the locking portion 97 of the torsion coil spring 94 comes into contact with the pin 95 and stops. The rotation of the shift lever 78 causes the pin 92 to rotate.
From the above, a pressing force acts on the locking portion 98 of the torsion coil spring 94. Therefore, the torsion coil spring 94 is expanded as a whole, and a counterclockwise rotational force acts on the shift lever 78.

On the other hand, when the operation force of the shift lever 51 is released after the shift range is changed, the shift rod 80 moves toward the opening 81 by the elastic force of the compression spring 83.
Therefore, the sub-rod 86 moves toward the shift rod 80 by the elastic force of the compression spring 90, and the shift lock pin 89
Is disengaged from the lock hole. In synchronization with this operation, the shift lever 78 is rotated counterclockwise in FIGS. 17 and 20 by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 94. As a result, the shift lever 78 automatically returns to the home position and stops.

Next, a case where the shift range of the automatic transmission 45 is changed by operating the shift lever 78 in the direction of arrow C1 in FIGS. 17 and 21 by the same operation as described above will be described. In this case, the locking portion 98 of the torsion coil spring 94 comes into contact with the pin 96 and stops. Further, the rotation of the shift lever 78 applies a pressing force from the pin 91 to the locking portion 97 of the torsion coil spring 94. For this reason, the torsion coil spring 94 is expanded as a whole, and a clockwise rotational force acts on the shift lever 78.

When the operating force on the shift lever 51 is released after the shift range is changed, the shift lever 78 is rotated clockwise by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 94, and automatically shifted to the home position. Return and stop.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 17 to 21,
By operating the shift lever 78 only once in one direction, the set shift range can be changed to another shift range. In this case, an operation is performed in which the shift lock pin 89 engaged with the predetermined lock hole jumps over the plurality of lock holes and engages with another lock hole.

The shift range can be changed to another shift range by reciprocating the shift lever 78. In this case, the shift lock pin 89 engaged with the predetermined lock hole is engaged with the adjacent tooth, the shift lever 78 is operated, and then the engagement between the shift lock pin 89 and the lock hole is released. Operation is repeated.

Further, when changing the shift range,
In the embodiment of FIGS. 17 to 21, two operation methods are possible. The first operation method is to first press the knob button 82 to engage the shift lock pin 89 with the lock hole, and then operate the shift lever 78 to change the shift range. The second operation method is as follows.
The shift lock pin 89 is engaged with the lock hole by operating the knob button 82 to a predetermined position, and then the shift lever 78 is operated to a predetermined position to change the shift range.

As described above, in the embodiment of FIGS. 17 to 21, the shift range of the automatic transmission 45 can be changed for each reciprocating operation by reciprocating the shift lever 78 within a predetermined range. The operation range (rotation angle) of the shift lever 78 is suppressed as much as possible. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the mounting position of the shift lever 78 and the degree of freedom of the shape of the surrounding structural members are expanded.

Further, in this embodiment, when the operating force on the shift lever 78 is released after the shift range is changed, the shift lever 78 is automatically set to the home position by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 94. Return and stop. That is, the shift lever 78 stops at the fixed position, and enters a standby state for a shift range changing operation. Therefore, the amount of operation for changing the shift range to be performed next is suppressed as much as possible, and the operability of the shift lever 78 is further improved.

Further, since the shift lever 78 is automatically returned to the home position, the home position is set so that the amount of protrusion of the shift lever 78 is suppressed as much as possible while the shift lever 78 is stopped at the home position. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to minimize contact between the occupant and the shift lever 78 during a vehicle collision.

Further, when no external force acts on the knob button 78, the engagement between the shift lock pin 89 and the lock hole is released. In this state, the shift lever 78
Operation is not hindered by the lock hole. Therefore, when the occupant comes into contact with the shift lever 78 during the collision of the vehicle, the shift lever 78 operates alone, and the impact due to the contact is reduced.

In each of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 16, it is possible to set the number of gear teeth to be larger than the number of shift ranges of the automatic transmission 45. In such a case, the shift range is changed by one step by repeating the reciprocating operation of the shift lever a plurality of times. Therefore, the operation range of the shift lever is further reduced in accordance with the ratio between the number of shift ranges and the number of gears.

The shift lever device of the present invention is also applicable to a case where the gear position of a manual transmission is changed.
Further, the present invention can be applied to a floor shift type shift lever device in which the shift lever is arranged on the console box side. Further, the present invention is applicable to a column shift type shift lever device in which the shift lever is disposed on the steering column side. Further, the front seat disposed in the room may be a bench seat integrally configured on the left and right sides.

[0108]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the shift lever is operated in one direction, the engaging member and the engaging teeth are engaged, and the operating force of the shift lever is transmitted via the movable member. The transmission is transmitted to the transmission to change the shift range. When the shift lever is operated in the other direction, the engagement between the engagement member and the engagement teeth is released.

That is, the shift range of the transmission is changed by reciprocating the shift lever within a predetermined range, and the operating range of the shift lever is suppressed as much as possible. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the mounting position of the shift lever and the degree of freedom of the shape of the surrounding structural members are expanded. Further, since the operation range of the shift lever is suppressed as much as possible, operability is improved.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the same effect as in the first aspect can be obtained, and the shift lever is automatically returned to the home position, so that the amount of protrusion of the shift lever is suppressed as much as possible. The fixed position can be set as follows. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the contact between the shift lever and the human body during a vehicle collision. In addition, when the shift lever is stopped at a fixed position, the operation of changing the shift range is awaited, so that when the next shift range is changed, the operation amount of the shift lever is suppressed as much as possible. The properties are further improved.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the same operation as in the first or second aspect can be obtained, and when the engagement between the engaging member and the engaging teeth is released, the operation of the shift lever is performed. Is performed independently without being hindered by the movable member. Therefore, even when the occupant comes into contact with the shift lever at the time of a vehicle collision, the impact is alleviated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the interior of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the shift lever device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing one embodiment of the shift lever device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3, showing one embodiment of the shift lever device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an automatic transmission in which a shift range is changed by the shift lever device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of the shift lever device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of the shift lever device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the shift lever device of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view of the shift lever device of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the shift lever device of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view of the shift lever device of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the shift lever device of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of the shift lever device of FIG.

14 is a cross-sectional view of the shift lever device of FIG. 13 taken along line XIV-XIV.

15 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 14, showing a state where the shift lever device of FIG. 13 is shifted in one direction.

16 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 14, showing a state in which the shift lever device of FIG. 13 is shifted in another direction.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the shift lever device of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a partial cross-sectional view of the shift lever device of FIG.

19 is a cross-sectional view of the shift lever device of FIG. 18 taken along the line XIX-XIX.

20 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 19, showing a state in which the shift lever device of FIG. 18 has been shifted in one direction.

21 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 19, showing a state in which the shift lever device of FIG. 18 has been shifted in another direction.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 shift lever device 16 shift gear 23 shift cable lever 24 shift cable 47 link 29, 51, 117 shift lever 30B, 59, 128 torsion coil spring 31, 32 locking claw 45 automatic transmission 55 shift rod 56 ball portion 57 , 121 Knob button 58, 122 Compression coil spring 104 Shift cable lever plate 123 Shift lock pin

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A shift lever device comprising: a shift lever; and a transmission mechanism for transmitting an operation force of the shift lever to a transmission to change a shift range, wherein transmission of an operation force between the shift lever and the transmission. In the path, a movable member having engaging teeth, and when the shift lever is operated in one direction, engages with the engaging teeth to transmit an operating force, and when the shift lever is operated in the other direction. A shift lever device for a transmission, comprising: an engagement member that is disengaged from the engagement teeth and interrupts an operation force. 2. The shift of a transmission according to claim 1, further comprising a return mechanism for automatically returning the shift lever to a home position when the operating force on the shift lever is released. Lever device. 3. The shift lever device for a transmission according to claim 1, further comprising a switching mechanism for controlling engagement / disengagement of the engagement teeth and the engagement member.