JP2010105623A - Operation position detection apparatus and shift operation position detection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation position detection apparatus and a shift operation position detection apparatus, capable of attaining the commonization of sensor components for detecting the operation position of operation means, for example. <P>SOLUTION: A shift knob 2 is rotatably mounted on a knob support slider 53 slidable to an apparatus case 3 so that a shift knob 2 is rotatable. This enables both the sliding operation of the shift knob 2 and the rotating operation of the shift knob 2 after the sliding operation. A guide hole 75 is formed in the knob support slider and the sensor connection part 38 of a sensor unit 5 jumping through the guide hole 75 is locked with a rib provided on the back face of the shift knob 2. The rotational movement of the shift lever 2 is converted into linear movement by a guide hole 75 and the rib, which is transmitted to the sensor unit 5 to linearly move the sensor connection part 38 of the sensor unit 5, that is, a magnet. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation position detection device and a shift operation position detection device that detect an operation position of an operation means based on a positional relationship between a detection unit and a detected unit.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in vehicles such as automobiles, automatic vehicles that travel by an automatic transmission that automatically switches the gear speed ratio of the vehicle according to the vehicle speed, the engine speed, and the like are widely used. This type of automatic vehicle is equipped with a shift lever (select lever) that is operated when switching the range of the automatic transmission at the driver's seat, and can be operated mainly in the parking range, neutral range, return range, drive range, etc. It has become. The shift lever is provided with a lever position detecting device for detecting the operation range position of the lever, and the gear position of the automatic transmission is switched by detecting the range position with this detecting device. In addition, this kind of detection apparatus is disclosed by patent document 1 etc., for example.

By the way, in recent years, a shift-by-wire structure has been developed as a kind of the lever position detection device. The shift-by-wire structure is a technique in which the operation position of the shift lever is detected by a sensor, and the range position is switched by a controller that is a control unit of the automatic transmission. As described above, when the range position of the automatic transmission is electrically switched, the range position can be changed from the viewpoint of operation load, etc., compared with the mechanical structure in which the shift lever and the transmission are directly connected. The switching operation is light in load, and it can be said that the convenience is very high from this point.
JP 2004-138235 A

  By the way, in the lever position detection device having the shift-by-wire structure, the sensor portion for detecting the lever operation position tends to be unitized. Further, for this type of shift lever device, for example, a lever-type device in which an operation portion having a lever shape is tilted forward, backward, left-right, or a dial-type device in which the operation portion is rotated is developed. Here, for example, if a sensor unit is formed for each shifter device having a different operation format, problems such as an increase in cost due to the new installation of parts occur. Therefore, there has been a demand for the development of a technology that allows the same sensor unit to be shared by different types of shifters. In addition, there has been a great demand for a simple structure as much as possible.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an operation position detection device and a shift operation position detection device that can satisfy a simple configuration, for example, when sharing sensor parts for detecting the operation position of an operation means. .

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, a first detection body is provided as one of the detection unit and the detected unit in the operation means, and the case member that supports the operation means in a movable manner is provided on the two members described above. On the other hand, a second detection body is provided, and when the operation means is operated, the first detection body linearly moves following the operation means and changes according to the positional relationship between the two detection bodies. In the operation position detection device that detects the operation position of the operation means based on the detected value, the operation means is pivotally connected to a support member that is attached to the case member so as to be linearly movable. A linear operation of the operation means and a rotation operation after the linear operation are allowed, and when the operation means is linearly operated, the first detection body is pushed by a guide portion provided on the support member, 1 detection object is the operating hand When the operation means is rotated after the linear operation, the first detection body is pulled by a locking portion provided in the operation means, and the straight line is The gist of the present invention is to provide a conversion mechanism for linearly moving the first detection body in the orthogonal direction by guiding the first detection body with a guide surface extending along the orthogonal direction of operation.

  According to this configuration, for example, when the operation means is of a lever type, that is, an operation form in which the lever member is tilted back and forth or left and right, as a sensor component for detecting the operation position of the operation means, for example, according to the operation of the operation means A type in which the first detection body moves linearly in the plane direction of the apparatus is employed. By the way, in this configuration, even when the operation means is a dial type that can perform a linear operation and a rotation operation after the linear operation, the operation force generated in the operation means at this time is linearly applied by the conversion mechanism. Since it is converted into operating force and can be transmitted to the sensor component side, the sensor component used in the lever type described above can be used in the dial type. Therefore, since one sensor component can be shared by two types, it is not necessary to prepare a sensor component for each type, and it is possible to obtain effects such as component cost reduction. In addition, the conversion mechanism of this configuration has a simple configuration in which the movement of the operation means is converted into the linear movement of the first detection body on the surface of the guide portion, and the sensor parts that are the advantages of this configuration can be shared. It can be said that it is possible.

The gist of the present invention is that a free running distance is formed in the guide portion so that the first detection body is not pushed in for a while even if the operation means is linearly operated.
According to this configuration, when the operating means is linearly operated, first, the first detecting body starts to move after the operating means is first linearly operated by the free running distance of the guide portion. The position of the operating means is detected by the second detector looking at the position of the detector. For this reason, even when the first detection body has a structure in which only a small amount moves relative to the second detection body, it becomes possible to increase the operation amount of the operation means by the amount of the free running distance. It is possible to solve the shortage of operation amount.

The gist of the present invention is that the locking portion is locked with the first detection body both before and after the operation means is linearly operated.
According to this configuration, the first detection body always takes the locked state with the locking portion regardless of before and after the operation means is linearly operated. By the way, after the operation means is linearly operated, the first detection body must be locked to the locking portion to rotate the operation means. However, in this configuration, the first locking pair is linearly operated. Therefore, after the operating means is linearly moved, there is no situation in which the first detection body is not locked to the locking portion. For this reason, it becomes possible to make an operation position detection apparatus hard to produce a malfunction.

The gist of the present invention is that the first detection body is constantly urged to the return side by urging means that pushes the first detection body to the position side before the operation.
According to this configuration, since the first detection body can be constantly pressed against the periphery of the guide portion, it is possible to further improve the operation position detection accuracy.

  The gist of the present invention is that the operating means is a momentary type in which the operating means is located at a steady position when not being operated, and is automatically moved to the original steady position after being operated from the steady position to another position. And

According to this configuration, after the operation means is operated, the operation means automatically returns to the original steady position (neutral position), so that no separate operation is required when returning the operation means to the original position.
In the present invention, the case is provided in which the first detection body is provided as one of the detection unit and the detected unit in the shift operation unit that is operated when the gear position of the transmission of the vehicle is switched, and the shift operation unit is movably supported. The second operation body is provided as the other of the two persons described above, and the operation of the shift operation unit is performed according to the detection value of the detection unit that changes according to the positional relationship between the two detection bodies when the shift operation unit is operated. In the shift operation position detecting device for detecting the position, the shift operation unit is rotatably connected to a support member that is attached to the case member so as to be linearly movable. When the shift operation portion is linearly operated after the linear operation, the first detection body is pushed by a guide portion provided on the support member, and the first detection body is shifted. When the shift operation unit is rotated after the linear operation, the first detection body is pulled by the locking portion provided in the shift operation unit, and the guide is guided. A gist is provided with a conversion mechanism that linearly moves the first detection body in the orthogonal direction by guiding the first detection body with a guide surface extending along the orthogonal direction of the linear operation.

  According to the present invention, for example, in sharing a sensor component for detecting the operation position of the operation means, this can be satisfied with a simple configuration.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an operation position detection device and a shift operation position detection device embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic vehicle is provided with a shifter device 1 as a device operated when switching the operation state of an automatic transmission (transmission). The shifter device 1 of the present example has a shift-by-wire structure in which a shift knob 2 that is an operation portion at the time of range position switching is electrically connected to an automatic transmission instead of mechanically. The shifter device 1 is provided with a box-shaped device case 3 as a storage location for various components of the shifter device 1. The shifter device 1 is attached to the vehicle by assembling the case 3 to the vehicle body using, for example, screw parts. The shift knob 2 constitutes an operation means and a shift operation unit, and the device case 3 corresponds to a case member.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the shifter device 1 of this example, the shift knob 2 takes four positions: a neutral position, a neutral position (N position), a drive position (D position), and a reverse position (R position). It is possible to operate from the neutral position, which is the reference position before the operation, to the N position, and from the neutral position to the D position and the R position via the N position. The shift knob 2 normally takes the neutral position, and after being operated from the neutral position to the N position, the D position, and the R position, when the operating force is lost by, for example, releasing the knob 2, the shift knob 2 is automatically restored. The momentary system is used to return to the neutral position. Note that the neutral position corresponds to the steady position.

  Furthermore, the shifter device 1 of this example is a dial type that switches the range position by sliding and rotating the shift knob 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the shift knob 2 of the present example is a slide operation when the operation from the neutral position to the N position is performed, and a rotation operation is performed when the operation is performed from the N position to the D position or the R position after the slide operation. The slide operation of the shift knob 2 takes a direction along the left-right direction of the shifter device 1 (select direction: Y-axis direction in FIG. 3). Further, the turning operation of the shift knob 2 is performed by applying an operating force in a direction perpendicular to the selection direction (shift direction: X-axis direction in FIG. 3), and the support shaft 4 of the shift knob 2 (see FIG. 2 and the like). The rotation trajectory with the center of rotation is taken. Further, the rotation operation direction from the N position to the D position and the rotation operation direction from the N position to the R position are opposite to each other. Note that the shift direction corresponds to the orthogonal direction.

  In addition, a sensor unit 5 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is provided inside the device case 3 as a position detection component of the shift knob 2 in the shifter device 1. The sensor unit 5 of this example is a magnetic type that detects the operation position of the shift knob 2 by detecting the position of the magnet 6 (see FIG. 4) that moves in response to the operation of the shift knob 2 by the magnetic sensor 7 (see FIG. 4). Adopted and unitized by housing various component groups of the sensor unit 5 in a box-shaped sensor case 8 which is a case portion of the unit 5. The sensor case 8 includes a lower case 9 having a box shape with an upper surface opened, and an upper case 10 that closes the opening of the lower case 9 from above. The upper case 10 is attached and fixed to the lower case 9 with a plurality of screws 11. The magnet 6 corresponds to the detected portion (first detection body), and the magnetic sensor 7 corresponds to the detection portion (second detection body).

  A plate-like PC board (Printed Circuit Board) 12 is mounted and fixed to the lower case 9 by a plurality of screws (not shown) as a mounting destination of various electronic components of the sensor unit 5 on the back surface of the lower case 9. ing. On the upper surface of the PC board 12, a magnetic sensor 7 is mounted on the PC board 12 as a magnetic detection component of the sensor unit 5 and attached to the sensor case 8 so as not to move. In addition, for example, an MRE (Magnetic Resistance Element) is used as the magnetic sensor 7, and a plurality of magnetic sensors 7 are arranged to detect a plurality of range positions. Further, a connector 13 is provided on the back surface of the PC board 12 as a connection destination of an external cable, and a detection signal of the magnetic sensor 7 is drawn out from the connector 13 to the outside.

  Inside the lower case 9, the lower slider 14 that allows the shift knob 2 to be operated between the N position and the D position is linearly movable along the depth direction of the case 8 (X-axis direction in FIG. 4). (Slidable). Further, inside the lower slider 14, an upper slider 15 that allows the shift knob 2 to be operated between the N position and the R position is linearly movable along the X-axis direction in FIG. 4 (sliding movement). Is possible). Further, the upper slider 15 is provided with a magnet holder 16 which is an attachment part of the magnet 6 and which allows the shift knob 2 to be operated between the neutral position and the N position. It is stored so that it can move linearly (slidably move) along the axial direction. In addition, the magnet holder 16 comprises a to-be-detected part (1st detection body).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the lower slider 14 has a shape having a pair of side walls 17 and 18 on both sides in the X-axis direction in FIG. Between the side wall 17 of the lower slider 14 on the + X axis side and the side wall 19 of the lower case 9 facing the side wall 17, the lower slider 14 is always urged to the −X side, so that the D position is changed to the N position. A lower slider urging member 20 is provided to cause the lower slider to follow the movement of the shift knob 2 that returns to the position. That is, the urging member 20 for the lower slider in this example functions as an urging member that returns the magnet 6 (magnet holder 16) to the original neutral position in conjunction with the return operation of the shift knob 2, and is composed of, for example, a coil spring. . The lower slider biasing member 20 constitutes a biasing member.

  Further, a lower slider biasing member storage portion 21 for storing the lower slider biasing member 20 is provided at a position near the side wall 17 on the + X axis side of the lower slider 14. The lower slider urging member 20 is housed in the lower slider urging member housing 21 in a state of being pressed from behind by the lower slider pin 22, and the edge of the pin 22 has a side wall 17 on the + X side. Is inserted into the groove 23 and positioned. When the lower slider 14 is pressed against the −X side side wall 24 of the lower case 9 by the lower slider biasing member, the shift knob 2 returns from the D position to the N position (neutral position).

  The upper slider 15 has a box shape with an upper surface opened, and is in an attached state housed in the lower slider 14. Further, between the side wall 25 of the upper slider 15 on the −X axis side and the side wall 18 of the lower slider 14 facing the side wall 25, the upper slider 15 is biased to the + X axis side so that it can be moved from the R position. An upper slider urging member 26 is provided for causing the upper slider 15 to follow the movement of the shift knob 2 returning to the N position. That is, the upper slider biasing member 26 of this example functions as a biasing member that returns the magnet 6 (magnet holder 16) to the original neutral position in conjunction with the return operation of the shift knob 2, and is composed of, for example, a coil spring. The upper slider biasing member 26 constitutes a biasing member.

  Also, an upper slider biasing member storage portion 27 for storing the upper slider biasing member 26 is provided at a position near the side wall 25 on the back surface of the upper slider 15. The upper slider urging member 26 is housed in the upper slider urging member housing portion 27 in a state in which the upper slider urging member 26 is pressed from behind by the upper slider pin 28, and the edge of the pin 28 is on the −X side of the lower slider 14. It is positioned by being fitted into the groove 29 of the side wall 18. When the upper slider 15 is pressed against the side wall 18 of the lower slider 14 by the upper slider biasing member, the shift knob 2 returns from the R position to the N position (neutral position).

  The magnet holder 16 has a box shape with an upper surface opened, and is in an attached state housed in the upper slider 15. Further, a cylindrical magnet mounting portion 30 projects from the bottom surface of the magnet holder 16, and a disc-shaped magnet 6 is fitted and attached to the magnet mounting portion 30. Further, by biasing the magnet holder 16 toward the −Y axis side between the side wall 31 on the + Y axis side of the magnet holder 16 and the side wall 32 of the upper slider 15 facing the side wall 31, the magnet holder 16 is neutral from the N position. A magnet holder urging member 33 is provided to follow the movement of the shift knob 2 returning to the position. That is, the magnet holder biasing member 33 of this example functions as a biasing member that returns the magnet 6 (magnet holder 16) to the original neutral position in conjunction with the return operation of the shift knob 2, and is composed of, for example, a coil spring. The holder biasing member 33 constitutes a biasing member.

  Further, a magnet holder biasing member storage portion 34 for storing the magnet holder biasing member 33 is provided at a position near the side wall 31 on the back surface of the magnet holder 16. The magnet holder urging member 33 is housed in the magnet holder urging member housing portion 34 so as to be compressed from behind by the magnet holder pin 35, and the edge of the pin 35 is located on the + Y-axis side of the upper slider 15. The groove 36 of the side wall 32 is fitted and positioned. Further, when the magnet holder 16 is pressed against the side wall 32 of the upper slider 15 by the magnet holder biasing member 33, the shift knob 2 returns from the N position to the neutral position.

  Inside the magnet holder 16, a magnet slider 37 is housed as a connection portion to the shift knob 2 in the sensor unit 5. The magnet slider 37 has three directions in which the lower slider 14, the upper slider 15 and the magnet holder 16 move, that is, the operation direction when the shift knob 2 is operated between the neutral position and the N position, and the shift knob 2 is operated in the N position and D. Operation is possible in three directions: an operation direction when operating between the positions, and an operation direction when operating the shift knob 2 between the N position and the R position. In addition, the magnet slider 37 is coupled to the shift knob 2 by engaging a sensor coupling portion 38 having a cylindrical bar shape formed at the center of the upper surface with the shift knob 2. The magnet slider 37 constitutes a detected part (first detection body).

  As shown in FIG. 4, between the magnet holder 16 and the magnet slider 37, a plurality (three in this example) of overstroke absorbing urging members 39 to each operation direction of the magnet slider 37. 41 is attached. The overstroke absorbing urging members 39 to 41 allow the shift knob 2 that has been slid and moved by the bending of the urging members 20, 26, and 33 when the shift knob 2 is operated to be pushed further into the shift knob 2. 2 overstroke is absorbed, and component variations and assembly variations generated around the shift knob 2 are absorbed. Note that the component variation refers to the variation between components that may occur during component manufacture, and the assembly variation refers to the variation between components that may occur during component assembly. The three overstroke absorbing urging members 39 to 41 of this example are made of, for example, a coil spring, and 39 is used when operating the shift knob 2 to the D position, and is used when operating the shift knob 2 to the R position. 40 is used, and 41 is used when the shift knob 2 is operated to the N position.

  On the back surface of the magnet slider 37, an overstroke absorbing urging member accommodating portion 42 for accommodating the overstroke absorbing urging members 39 to 41 is provided for each of the urging members 39 to 41. In FIG. 4, only the storage portion 42 for the biasing member 39 is shown. The overstroke absorbing urging members 39 to 41 are accommodated in the overstroke absorbing urging member accommodating portion 42 in a state in which the overstroke absorbing urging members 39 to 41 are pressed so as to be contracted from behind by the magnet slider pins 43 to 45. Further, the overstroke absorbing urging members 39 to 41 are provided with spring loads of the urging members 20, 26, 33 which are useful when the magnet 6 is returned to the neutral position, more specifically, the shift knob 2 is set to each range position. The spring load is set to be stronger than the spring load when the biasing members 20, 26, 33 are bent by operation.

  Further, a part of the sensor connecting portion 38 is drawn out of the sensor case 8 from a guide hole 46 provided in the upper case 10. The guide hole 46 has, for example, a shape in which the katakana “G” is reversed left and right, and is connected to the select hole 47 extending in the left and right direction (select direction) of the case 10 and the right end of the select hole 47, and the depth direction (shift of the case 10 And a shift hole 48 extending in the direction). The sensor connecting portion 38 is located in the select hole 47 when the shift knob 2 is located at the neutral position, and is located at a position where the select hole 47 and the shift hole 48 intersect when the shift knob 2 is located at the N position. Is positioned in the R position near one end of the shift hole 48 (upper in FIG. 4), and when the shift knob 2 is positioned in the D position, the other of the shift holes 48 (lower in FIG. 4). Located near the end.

  When the shift knob 2 is located at the neutral position, the lower slider 14, the upper slider 15, and the magnet holder 16 are all filled with the urging forces of the urging members 20, 26, 33 as shown in FIG. When the pushed state is taken, the magnet 6 is positioned at the neutral detection position. When the shift knob 2 is operated to the N position, as shown in FIG. 6, the magnet holder urging member 33 is pushed and bent by the magnet holder 16, and the magnet 6 is positioned at the N detection position. Further, when the shift knob 2 is operated to the D position, as shown in FIG. 7, the magnet holder urging member 33 is pushed and bent by the magnet holder 16, and the lower slider urging member 20 is moved. The magnet 6 is positioned at the D detection position by being pushed and bent by the lower slider 14. When the shift knob 2 is operated to the R position, as shown in FIG. 8, the magnet holder biasing member 33 is pushed and bent by the magnet holder 16, and the upper slider biasing member 26 is moved upward. The magnet 6 is positioned at the R detection position by being pushed and bent by the slider 15.

  Here, when the shift knob 2 is operated to each range position, if there is a component variation or assembly variation between the shift knob 2 and its support, the shift knob 2 is operated to each range position. Therefore, there is a possibility that the shift knob 2 may be short of stroke or excessive in stroke due to this variation. However, in this example, after the biasing member 20 (26, 33) in the operation direction is bent when the shift knob 2 is operated, the overstroke absorbing biasing member 43 (44, 45) is subsequently bent. As a result, the overstroke of the shift knob 2 is absorbed, and the positional deviation that may occur at this time is absorbed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 9, and 10, a knob slide guide 50 is provided on the upper portion of the main body 49 of the device case 3 as one part that allows the shift knob 2 to slide. In the knob slide guide 50, on both sides in the shift direction, a pair of rail grooves 51, 51 are provided in which the grooves extend along the select direction. In addition, a sensor connection portion through hole 52 is provided in the bottom wall of the knob slide guide 50 as a portion through which the sensor connection portion 38 is passed by largely cutting out the entire surface near the center of the bottom wall.

  A pair of rail grooves 51, 51 of the knob slide guide 50 are attached with a substantially flat knob support slider 53, which is a support component of the shift knob 2, so as to be linearly movable (slidable) in the select direction. Further, on the upper surface of the knob support slider 53, a lever portion 54, which is a seat portion of the shift knob 2, can be rotated about its axis with the height direction of the sensor unit 5 (Z-axis direction in FIG. 3) as an axis. Is attached. The lever portion 54 has a shaft hole 55 (see FIGS. 3, 9, and 10) in which the support shaft 4 (see FIG. 10) provided on the back surface of the lever portion 54 is provided at the center position of the knob support slider 53. Is attached to the knob support slider 53. A knob portion 56 having a substantially flat circular shape as a grip portion of the shift knob 2 is attached and fixed to the upper portion of the lever portion 54 so as to be able to operate integrally with the lever portion 54. The knob support slider 53 corresponds to a support member.

  An upper panel (upper housing) 57 that closes the internal space of the main body 49 from above is attached and fixed to the upper surface of the main body 49 of the apparatus case 3. A panel hole 59 through which the sensor connecting portion 38 of the sensor unit 5 and the knob mounting portion 58 on the upper surface of the lever portion 54 are led out to the knob portion 56 side is formed through one surface near the center of the upper panel 57. Therefore, the sensor connecting portion 38 and the lever portion 54 of the sensor unit 5 are connected to the knob portion 56 that is in an attached state exposed from the outside of the device case 3 by being pulled out from the panel hole 59 of the upper panel 57. Has been.

  Further, a restricting portion 60 is projected from the back surface of the lever portion 54 at a position near the + X axis direction so as to extend downward from the back surface. In the knob support slider 53, a restricting hole 61 is provided at a position facing the restricting portion 60 so as to cooperate with the restricting portion 60 of the lever portion 54 to determine the amount of rotation operation of the shift knob 2. The restricting hole 61 is formed in a shape that allows the restricting portion 60 of the lever portion 54 to pass therethrough, and that the hole path extends around the shaft hole 55 while taking an arc path. In addition, a pair of restrictions sandwiching the restriction part 60 from both sides at a position facing the restriction part 60 before the shift knob 2 is slid (that is, when the shift knob 2 takes the neutral position) Pieces 62, 62 are provided.

  When the shift knob 2 is positioned at the neutral position, the restricting portion 60 of the lever portion 54 is sandwiched between the pair of restricting pieces 62 and 62 from both sides, and the turning operation at the neutral position is prohibited. For this reason, when the shift knob 2 is positioned at the neutral position, only the slide operation is permitted, and the rotation operation cannot be performed. After the shift knob 2 is slid from the neutral position to the N position, the restricting portion 60 is detached from the pair of restricting pieces 62 and 62 and can be rotated. When the shift knob 2 is rotated, when the restricting portion 60 comes to the end of the restricting hole 61, further turning operation is restricted. When the shift knob 2 is turned, the restricting portion 60 is one of the restricting holes 61. When it contacts the end, the shift knob 2 takes the D position. On the contrary, when the restricting portion 60 contacts the other end of the restricting hole 61, the shift knob 2 takes the R position.

  The shift knob 2 is provided with a moderation mechanism 63 that imparts moderation to the shift knob 2 when the shift knob 2 is rotated. A pair of moderation mechanisms 63 of this example are provided on both sides of the support shaft 4 of the shift knob 2. In this moderation mechanism 63, a moderation valley 64 and moderation peaks 65 (refer to FIG. 10) are provided on both sides of the lever portion 54 near the radial edge. On the other hand, on the upper surface of the knob support slider 53, a moderation piece 67 that is in an attached state pushed up from behind by a moderation biasing member 66 is provided in a state of fitting into the moderation valley 64. When the shift knob 2 is rotated, the moderation piece 67 climbs the moderation mountain 65, which occurs as the moderation of the shift knob 2. When the shift knob 2 returns to the position before the rotation, the moderation piece 67 is moderated. The state returns to the state of fitting down the original moderation valley 64 down the mountain 65.

  Further, between the knob slide guide 50 and the knob support slider 53, there are select direction return urging members 68 and 68 for automatically returning the shift knob 2 after being slid to the N position to the neutral position. One is provided on each side of the shift direction. The selection direction return urging members 68 and 68 allow the shift knob 2 in the selection direction by urging the knob support slider 53 in the + X-axis direction, and include, for example, a coil spring. Further, on the both sides in the shift direction of the selection direction return urging members 68, 68, there are selection direction return urging member storage holes 69 (see FIG. 10) as storage destinations of the selection direction return urging members 68, 68, respectively. Is provided. The selection direction return urging members 68 and 68 are attached from the rear by a boss portion 70 (see FIG. 3) protruding from the knob slide guide 50, and together with the boss portion 70, the selection direction return attachment member is provided. It is housed in the force member housing hole 69.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, between the shift knob 2 and the knob support slider 53, the shift knob 2 that is rotated from the N position to the D position or the R position is returned to the original state before the rotation operation. A shift direction return urging member 71 for automatically returning to the N position is provided. The shift direction return biasing member 71 of this example is formed of, for example, a torsion spring (torsion coil spring), and is housed vertically in the mounting portion 58 of the lever portion 54. Each spring end of the urging member 71 for returning the shift direction is passed through a pair of lever side grooves 72 and 72 (see FIG. 10) formed on both sides of the lever portion 54 with the mounting portion 58 interposed therebetween. The upper surface of 53 is inserted and locked in a pair of slider side grooves 73 and 73 (see FIGS. 3 and 9) formed on both sides of the shaft hole 55.

  For this reason, if the shift knob 2 is slid from the neutral position to the N position and then released from the shift knob 2, the select direction return biasing members 68 and 68 are used, and the shift knob 2 is moved to the original neutral position before the operation. Return to. At this time, the magnet 6 follows the return operation of the knob 2 by the biasing force of the magnet holder biasing member 33. Further, after the shift knob 2 is operated from the neutral position via the N position to the D position or the R position, when the hand is released from the shift knob 2, the shift direction return biasing member 71 is first used to operate the shift knob 2. Returning to the N position, the select direction return urging members 68 and 68 are then operated, and the shift knob 2 moves from the N position to the neutral position to return to the original neutral position before the operation. At this time, the magnet 6 follows the return operation of the knob 2 by the biasing force of the biasing member 20 (26) and the biasing member 33.

  Further, in the shifter device 1 of this example, the rotation operation force generated in the shift knob 2 when the shift knob 2 is rotated from the N position to the D position or the R position is operated in a linear direction to move the magnet 6 linearly. A conversion mechanism 74 that converts the force into a force and transmits it to the sensor connecting portion 38 is provided. In this conversion mechanism 74, a guide hole 75 having a “convex” shape in plan view is formed in the knob support slider 53. The guide hole 75 includes a selection direction guide hole 76 that protrudes by a predetermined amount in the selection direction, and a shift direction guide hole 77 that extends long in the shift direction. Further, at the hole periphery of the guide hole 75, the continuous (longitudinal) surface on the shaft hole 55 side converts the rotational movement of the shift knob 2 into the linear movement of the sensor connecting portion 38 (that is, the magnet 6). It serves as a shift direction regulating guide surface 78 having The guide hole 75 corresponds to a guide portion, and the shift direction regulating guide surface 78 corresponds to a guide surface.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, a pair of ribs 79, 79 are provided on the back surface of the lever portion 54 as an engaging portion of the sensor connecting portion 38. The ribs 79, 79 in this example are caught by the sensor connecting portion 38 when the shift knob 2 is rotated from the N position to the D position or the R position, and the sensor connecting portion 38 (that is, the magnet 6) follows the shift knob 2. Work to let you. Note that the ribs 79, 79 of this example are formed long in the select direction and take a locked state in which the shift knob 2 is always locked with the sensor connecting portion 38 regardless of whether the shift knob 2 is positioned at the neutral position or the N position. Yes. The rib 79 corresponds to the locking portion.

  Further, the length of the guide hole 75 in the select direction, in other words, the length of the select direction guide hole 76 is determined by connecting the sensor for a while even if the shift knob 2 starts to slide from the neutral position toward the N position. The portion 38 is formed long so as not to move. Therefore, this length works as the free running distance L that moves only the shift knob 2 without moving the sensor connecting portion 38. The idling distance L works to ensure a sufficient operation amount (for example, about 15 mm) in the select direction of the shift knob 2 even when the movement amount of the magnet 6 can be small (for example, about 6 mm).

  As shown in FIG. 11, the shifter device 1 is provided with a shift ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 80 as a control unit for detecting the operation position of the shift knob 2. This shift ECU 80 is connected to magnetic sensors 7, 7,..., And the range position of the shift knob 2 is determined based on detection signals acquired from these magnetic sensors 7, 7.. Then, the shift ECU 80 controls the automatic transmission based on the determined range position so that the automatic transmission takes the gear position corresponding to the range position of the shift knob 2. Further, the shift ECU 80 can output the range position calculated from the magnetic sensors 7, 7... To other ECUs as necessary.

Next, the operation of the shifter device 1 of this example will be described with reference to FIGS.
When the knob that is not operating the shift knob 2 is not operated, the urging force of the select direction return urging member 68 and the shift direction return urging member 71 works, and the shift knob 2 is always in the neutral position as shown in FIG. Take. When the shift knob 2 is positioned at the neutral position, the sensor connecting portion 38 is in a position pulled in the −Y-axis direction by the shift direction guide hole 77 of the knob support slider 53, and the sensor connecting portion 38 is in the select hole in the upper case 10. 47. As a result, the magnet 6 is positioned at the neutral detection position, and the magnetic sensors 7, 7... Are detected that the shift knob 2 is positioned at the neutral position.

  When the shift knob 2 is slid from this neutral position to the N position shown in FIG. 13, first, the idle travel distance L works and the sensor connecting portion 38 stays at the neutral detection position, and only the shift knob 2 (including the knob support slider 53). Slides relative to the device case 3. At this time, since the sensor connecting portion 38 moves through the passage 81 formed between the pair of ribs 79, 79, only the shift knob 2 is slid and moved while the sensor connecting portion 38 is stopped at the neutral detection position. The ribs 79, 79 do not affect the sliding movement of the shift knob 2.

  Then, when the shift knob 2 is slid by the idle travel distance L, the sensor connecting portion 38 comes into contact with the longitudinal center position of the shift direction regulating guide surface 78, and the sensor connecting portion 38 starts sliding movement in the + Y-axis direction. . Therefore, in the subsequent slide operation, the sensor connecting portion 38 is slid in the + Y-axis direction following the shift knob 2 slid by the sensor connecting portion 38 being pushed by the shift direction regulating guide surface 78. When the shift knob 2 is slid to the maximum stroke position, the sensor connecting portion 38 is positioned at the center of the select direction guide hole 76 of the upper case 10. Accordingly, the magnet 6 is positioned at the N detection position, and the magnetic sensors 7, 7... Are detected that the shift knob 2 is positioned at the N position.

  Subsequently, when the shift knob 2 is turned from the N position to the R position shown in FIG. 14, the sensor connecting portion 38 is pulled by the ribs 79 and 79 and moves to follow the turning operation of the shift knob 2. . At this time, the sensor connecting portion 38 moves along the shift direction regulating guide surface 78, whereby the turning operation of the shift knob 2 is converted into the linear operation of the sensor connecting portion 38, that is, the linear operation of the magnet 6. It is transmitted to the sensor connecting part 38. Therefore, the magnet 6 connected to the sensor connecting portion 38 takes a linear locus when moving to the R detection position. At this time, the magnet holder urging member 33 of the sensor unit 5 is used, and the sensor connecting portion 38 is kept pressed against the shift direction regulating guide surface 78. When the shift knob 2 is turned to the maximum stroke position, the sensor connecting portion 38 is located at the hole end on the −X direction side of the shift direction guide hole 77 of the upper case 10. Thereby, the magnet 6 is positioned at the R detection position, and the magnetic sensors 7, 7... Are detected that the shift knob 2 is positioned at the R position.

  Further, when the shift knob 2 is rotated from the N position to the D position shown in FIG. 15, the operation direction (operation direction) is different from that on the left and right as compared to when the shift knob 2 is operated from the N position to the R position. is there. Therefore, in this example, the description of the operation when the shift knob 2 is rotated from the N position to the D position is omitted by describing the operation when the shift knob 2 is operated from the N position to the R position.

  By the way, as the operation system of the shifter device 1, for example, when a lever type that tilts the lever member back and forth and right and left is used, this type of lever is an operation type in which the lever moves in a linear direction when viewed from above. Therefore, this type of sensor unit 5 for detecting the operation position of the lever also takes a moving form in which the sensor connecting portion 38 (that is, the magnet 6) moves linearly in the top view of the shifter device 1, that is, in this example. The described magnet linear movement type sensor unit 5 is used. In short, when the operation system is a lever type, the sensor unit 5 has a structure in which the sensor connecting portion 38 moves linearly in accordance with the operation direction of the lever that moves linearly in plan view.

  Here, in this example, ribs 79 are provided on the back surface of the lever portion 54, and a knob slide guide 50 is provided on the knob support slider 53. When the shift knob 2 is rotated, By these ribs 79, 79, the rotational movement of the shift knob 2 is converted into an operating force for linear motion of the sensor connecting portion 38, and the sensor connecting portion 38 (that is, the magnet 6) is linearly moved by this operating force. For this reason, it is possible to share the magnet linear movement type sensor unit 5 of this example with both the dial type as in this example and the lever type in which the operation type of the shift switching is to tilt the lever member. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare the individual sensor units 5 for the operation types of the dial type and the lever type, and it is possible to reduce the component cost accordingly.

  In order to make the dial-type shift knob 2 compatible with the lever-type sensor unit 5, ribs 79 and 79 are provided on the back surface of the lever portion 54, and a hole called a knob slide guide 50 is formed in the knob support slider 53. Since the structure of providing is simple, it is possible to suppress the cost and cost as much as possible when adopting the technology of this example. Therefore, according to the above, in this example, it is possible to achieve the effect that the sensor unit 5 can be shared and the shared structure can be simplified.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The shifter device 1 converts the turning operation force generated in the shift knob 2 when the shift knob 2 is turned from the N position to the D position or the R position into a linear operation force that moves the magnet 6 linearly. Thus, a conversion mechanism 74 for transmitting to the sensor connecting portion 38 is provided. For this reason, since the sensor unit 5 of this example of a lever type can be used also for a dial type, one sensor unit 5 can be shared by two types. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare the sensor unit 5 for each type, so that the part cost can be reduced accordingly. In addition, the sensor unit 5 can be shared by the conversion mechanism 74 having a simple structure of the ribs 79 and 79 of the lever portion 54 and the knob slide guide 50 of the knob support slider 53. There is no need for cost.

  (2) In the select direction of the knob slide guide 50, an idle running distance L that secures an operation amount of the shift knob 2 is provided. For this reason, even if the amount of movement of the magnet 6 cannot be increased, the amount of operation of the shift knob 2 in the select direction can be increased by the idle travel distance L. It can be secured sufficiently.

  (3) The sensor connecting portion 38 is in an attached state sandwiched between the pair of ribs 79 and 79 even before the shift knob 2 is linearly operated (that is, in the neutral position). For this reason, for example, when the shift knob 2 is turned, it is not necessary to cause a situation in which the sensor connecting portion 38 is not locked to the ribs 79, 79, so that the sensor unit 5 is unlikely to malfunction. it can.

  (4) The sensor connecting portion 38 is always pressed against the guide surface 78 of the guide hole 75 by the magnet holder urging member 33 for pressing the magnet holder 16. For this reason, the positioning accuracy of the sensor connecting portion 38 is increased, and the position detection accuracy of the sensor unit 5 can be increased.

  (5) Since the shift knob 2 is a momentary type, after the shift knob 2 is operated from the neutral position to another range position, the shift knob 2 automatically returns to the original neutral position. For this reason, when the shift knob 2 operated from the neutral position to another range position is returned to the original neutral position, it is not necessary to impose a special operation on the operator, which is highly convenient.

(6) Since the moderation mechanism 63 that provides the moderation feeling to the shift knob 2 during the knob turning operation is provided in the shifter device 1, it is possible to impart an appropriate operation feeling to the shift knob 2.
Note that the embodiment is not limited to the configuration described so far, and may be modified as follows.

  The shifter device 1 is not necessarily limited to the floor type arranged at the center console in the vehicle, and may adopt any of a column type arranged at the steering column and an instrument panel type arranged at the center cluster, for example. .

  -The turning operation after the linear operation of the shift knob 2 is not necessarily limited to the movement of taking a circular arc, and the point is that it may be a curved shape (a shape in which the path is bent) with respect to the operation direction imposed during the linear operation. .

  The sensor unit 5 is not necessarily limited to the turtle shape in which the lower slider 14, the upper slider 15, the magnet holder 16, and the magnet slider 37 are sequentially stacked, and each sensor unit 5 may have an individual storage portion. .

  The sensor unit 5 is not limited to having units of independent members for each adjacent range position, and the sensor unit 5 may be anything as long as the magnet 6 linearly moves in the plane direction in the apparatus plan view.

The sensor unit 5 is not necessarily limited to having an urging member that causes the magnet 6 to follow the movement of the shift knob 2, and may have a structure that does not have this.
The detection system of the shift knob 2 is not necessarily limited to the magnetic type, and other detection formats such as an optical sensor may be employed.

  The shift knob 2 (sensor unit 5) is not necessarily limited to the momentary type that automatically returns to the original operation position, but may be a holding type that holds the operation position when operated to each range position.

-It is not limited to the combination in which the magnet 6 is disposed on the shift knob 2 side and the magnetic sensor 7 is disposed on the case side, and this may be reversed.
-Another set of magnetic sensors may be provided on the PC board 12 to form a double system.

The sensor unit 5 is not necessarily limited to one that can detect multi-axis operation positions, but may be one that detects only one axis.
-The 1st detection body is not necessarily limited to the part which attached the magnet 6 to the magnet holder 16, and may consist only of the magnet 6. FIG.

  The connecting structure of the shift knob 2 and the magnet slider 37 is not necessarily limited to the shape in which the protrusion on the magnet slider 37 side is inserted into the recess of the shift knob 2, and this may be reversed.

The guide portion is not necessarily limited to the hole through which the member passes, and may be a hole having a recess.
The locking portion is not necessarily limited to a rib shape, and any shape may be employed as long as the sensor connecting portion 38 can be locked.

  The ribs 79 and 79 are not limited to the attachment state in which the shift knob 2 is always locked with the sensor connecting portion 38 before and after the linear operation of the shift knob 2, and at least as long as the rib 79 is fixed to the sensor connecting portion 38 after the linear operation. Any shape may be adopted.

  The shifter device 1 does not necessarily take the path of “G” in which the operation direction of the shift knob 2 is reversed left and right in katakana, for example, the path in which the operation path of the shift knob 2 is reversed left and right of the letter “h” As an alternative, the brake position (B position) may be added to the four range positions described in the embodiment to detect five positions.

The shifter device 1 is not necessarily applied to the shifter device 1, but can be applied to devices and devices having various operation systems such as levers and knobs.
Next, technical ideas that can be grasped from the above-described embodiment and other examples will be described below together with their effects.

  (1) The return according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the operating means is operated, the first detector is pushed from behind to facilitate the return of the first detector to the position before the operation. After the biasing member is bent, the first detector moves following the operating means to allow detection of the operation position, and after the return biasing member is further bent, the first biasing member is A high load variation absorbing and biasing member provided between the holding member movably held by the detection body and the first detection body is subsequently bent, and the first detection body stops but the holding member moves. A variation absorbing mechanism for absorbing variations between components is provided. According to this configuration, even if there is a variation between the operation means and its surrounding parts, the first detection body is positioned in a suitable position without being affected by this, so that the operation of the operation means It is possible to increase the detection accuracy when detecting the position.

The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the dial type shifter apparatus in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the movement of the shift knob in a dial type shifter apparatus. The disassembled perspective view which shows the components structure of a shifter apparatus. The disassembled perspective view which shows the internal structure of a sensor unit. The top view which shows the state of the sensor unit at the time of a shift knob taking a neutral position. The top view which shows the state of the sensor unit at the time of a shift knob taking N position. The top view which shows the state of the sensor unit at the time of a shift knob taking D position. The top view which shows the state of the sensor unit at the time of a shift knob taking R position. The perspective view which shows the specific shape of a lever part and a knob support slider. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the component in FIG. 9 when viewed from below. The block diagram which shows the electric constitution of a shifter apparatus. The top view which shows the operation state of the conversion mechanism when a shift knob takes a neutral position. The top view which shows the operation state of the conversion mechanism when a shift knob takes N position. The top view which shows the operation state of the conversion mechanism when a shift knob takes R position. The top view which shows the operation state of the conversion mechanism at the time of a shift knob taking D position.

Explanation of symbols

  2 ... Shift knob constituting operation means and shift operation unit, 3 ... Device case as case member, 6 ... Magnet constituting detection target part (first detection body), 7 ... Detection part (second detection body) Magnetic sensor 16... Magnet holder constituting the detected part (first detection body) 20. Lower slider biasing member constituting the biasing means 26. Upper slider biasing member constituting the biasing means , 33 ... biasing member for magnet holder constituting the biasing means, 37 ... magnet slider constituting the detected part (first detection body), 53 ... knob supporting slider as a supporting member, 74 ... conversion mechanism, 75 ... Guide holes as guide portions, 78... Shift direction regulating guide surfaces as guide surfaces, 79... Ribs as locking portions, L.

Claims (6)

The operation means is provided with a first detection body as one of the detection unit and the detected part, the case member that movably supports the operation means is provided with a second detection body as the other of the two parties, and the operation means When the operation is performed, the first detection body moves linearly following the operation means, and the operation position of the operation means is detected based on the detection value of the detection unit that changes according to the positional relationship between the two detection bodies. In the operation position detecting device to
By connecting the operation means to a support member attached to the case member so as to be linearly movable, a linear operation of the operation means and a rotation operation after the linear operation are allowed, When the operation means is linearly operated, the first detection body is pushed by a guide portion provided on the support member to cause the first detection body to follow the linear operation of the operation means. When a rotation operation is performed after the operation, the first detection body is pulled by a locking portion provided in the operation means, and the guide surface extends along the orthogonal direction of the linear operation at the guide portion. An operation position detecting device comprising a conversion mechanism for linearly moving the first detection body in the orthogonal direction by guiding one detection body.   2. The operation according to claim 1, wherein an idling distance is formed in the guide portion so that the first detection body is not pushed in for a while even if the operation means is linearly operated. Position detection device.   The operation position detection device according to claim 1, wherein the locking portion is locked with the first detection body both before and after the operation means is linearly operated.   The said 1st detection body is always urged | biased to the return side by the urging means which pushes the said 1st detection body to the position side before operation, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. The operation position detection device described.   2. The momentary system according to claim 1, wherein the operating means is in a stationary position when not operated, and is automatically moved back to the original stationary position after being operated from the stationary position to another position. The operation position detection apparatus as described in any one of 1-4. The shift operation unit operated when switching the gear position of the transmission of the vehicle is provided with a first detection body as one of the detection unit and the detected unit, and the case member that movably supports the shift operation unit is configured as described above. A second detection body is provided as the other person, and the operation position of the shift operation section is detected based on the detection value of the detection section that changes according to the positional relationship between the two detection bodies when the shift operation section is operated. In the shift operation position detection device,
By linearly connecting the shift operation unit to a support member attached to the case member so as to be linearly movable, linear operation of the shift operation unit and rotation operation after the linear operation are allowed. When the shift operation part is linearly operated, the first detection body is pushed by a guide part provided on the support member so that the first detection body follows the linear operation of the shift operation part. When the operation unit is rotated after the linear operation, the first detection body is pulled by the locking unit provided in the shift operation unit, and the guide unit is along the direction of the straight line operation. A shift operation position detection device comprising a conversion mechanism for linearly moving the first detection body in the orthogonal direction by guiding the first detection body with an extending guide surface.

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