JP2015101169A - Shift boot - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shift boot which has a small number of components, can be easily assembled, and has an excellent productivity.SOLUTION: A shift boot having a boot 10 covering a shift lever 40 and a fixing member 20 which is joined near a top edge of the boot 10 and is inserted in the shift lever 40, in which at a junction between the boot 10 and the fixing member 20, a weld layer 31, in which the boot 10 and the fixing member 20 are respectively molten and are integrally bonded. Consequently, the fixing member 20 and the boot 10 can be joined without a separate component for fixing, whereby the number of components of the shift boot 1 can be reduced. Further, a work for reversing the boot 10, a work for reversing the boot again in order to restore the boot, a work for mounting a band, a work for sewing a ring and so on are not needed, whereby the shift boot 1 can be easily assembled and can be improved in productivity thereof.

Description

  The present invention relates to a shift boot attached to a shift lever of an automobile or the like.

  Conventionally, in a vehicle such as an automobile, it is known to attach a shift boot to a shift lever in order to close an opening formed in a floor console or the like in order to project the shift lever into a vehicle interior. This type of shift boot has, for example, a substantially truncated cone or substantially quadrangular truncated pyramid shape and is attached near the upper end of the shift lever via a fixing member such as a ring attached to the upper end of the shift boot. In addition, the periphery of the lower end is fixed to the peripheral edge of the opening.

  As a structure for attaching the upper end of the shift boot to the shift lever, for example, a structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. In the structure of this document, the boot constituting the shift boot is turned upside down, and the portion corresponding to the upper end of the boot is inserted into a ring-shaped bush as a fixing member, and the inserted end is the bush. Fold it to the outer peripheral side and fix it with a band. Then, the boot fixed to the bush is turned over so that the surface is on the outside and returned to the original state, and then the shift lever is inserted into the bush, and the shift boot is attached to the shift lever.

  In addition, as another example of the prior art, the shift boot disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a ring integrated portion in which a ring is attached to an upper end portion. Specifically, a ring is fitted inside the vicinity of the upper end portion of the boot, and the upper end portion of the boot is folded inward to wrap and sew the ring. Then, the boot and the bush are joined together by inserting and holding the ring integrated portion of the boot through a ring housing space formed in the bush as a fixing member. The bush is provided with a protrusion that is elastically deformable in the radial direction. This allows the protrusion to be elastically deformed so that the ring integrated portion can be inserted. Returning to the position prevents the ring integrated part from coming off.

JP 2004-26094 A (page 4-5, FIG. 7) JP 2007-290517 A (page 4, FIG. 1)

  However, the method of folding the upper end of the boot and fixing it to the outer periphery of the bush using a band as in the prior art shift boot disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the assembly workability is poor. It was. That is, after performing the work of turning the boots upside down, after attaching the bush and fixing it with the band, it was necessary to reverse the boots again and return them to their original positions.

  Further, even in a configuration in which a ring is previously sewn into the upper end portion of the boot as in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 2, the work of wrapping the ring at the upper end portion of the boot and the sewing operation are complicated, and productivity is increased. There was a problem of being bad.

  Furthermore, in any of the above-described conventional techniques, there is a problem that the number of parts increases because parts (bands or rings) for fixing the boot and the fixing member (bush) are required. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a shift boot excellent in productivity that can be easily assembled with a small number of parts.

  The shift boot of the present invention has a boot that covers the shift lever, and a fixing member that is joined to the vicinity of the upper end of the boot and is inserted into the shift lever, and a joint portion between the boot and the fixing member Is characterized in that a weld layer is formed in which the boot and the fixing member are melted and fixed together.

  According to the shift boot of the present invention, the weld layer in which the boot and the fixing member are melted and fixed integrally is formed at the joint between the boot and the fixing member. Accordingly, the boot and the fixing member can be joined and fixed without separately requiring a fixing component (such as a holding band). That is, the number of parts of the shift boot can be reduced.

  In addition, the welding member is formed and the fixing member and the boot are joined without the need for the work of turning the boot upside down, the work of reversing to restore the boot, the work of attaching the band, or the work of sewing the ring. can do. Thereby, the assembly of a shift boot becomes easy and productivity can be improved.

  Moreover, the upper part of a shift boot can be finished beautifully by covering the upper surface and outer peripheral side surface of a fixing member with a boot. Then, by forming a welding layer on the upper surface of the fixing member and bonding the boot and the fixing member, it is possible to easily perform the joining operation and to improve the peeling resistance of the boot.

  In addition, by forming a welding layer on the inner surface of the recess formed on the upper surface of the fixing member, while preventing a gap from being generated between the upper peripheral portion of the upper end of the shift boot and the shift knob attached thereto, The bonding strength between the fixing member and the boot can be increased.

  In addition, by forming the weld layer inclined with respect to the cross section of the shift lever, it is possible to secure a wide area of the weld layer and further increase the bonding strength. Thereby, a predetermined bonding strength can be obtained in a short time bonding process, and the production efficiency is improved.

1 is a perspective view of a shift boot according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the upper end part vicinity of the shift boot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is (A) perspective drawing and (B) longitudinal cross-sectional view of the fixing member which concerns on embodiment of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state during (A) welding before (B) welding explaining the manufacturing method of the shift boot which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, a shift boot according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shift boot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from above.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the shift boot 1 is attached to a shift lever 40 of a vehicle such as an automobile, covers the shift lever 40, and projects the shift lever 40 formed on a floor console (not shown) into the vehicle interior. It closes the opening for installation. A shift knob 41 is attached to the upper end portion of the shift lever 40 to which the shift boot 1 is attached.

  The shift boot 1 includes a boot 10 that covers the shift lever 40 and a ring 20 that is a fixing member for attaching the shift boot 1 to the shift lever 40.

  The boot 10 is a cylindrical body that is formed by sewing a flexible sheet material and has an upper portion and a bottom portion that are open, and has a substantially frustoconical outer peripheral side surface shape. In addition, as a whole form of the boot 10, other forms, such as the outer peripheral side surface shape of a substantially square frustum, can also be employ | adopted, for example.

  A ring 20 for attaching and fixing the shift boot 1 to the shift lever 40 is joined to the vicinity of the upper end of the boot 10. A shift lever 40 is inserted into the insertion hole 21 formed in the center of the ring 20.

  The shape of the periphery of the bottom of the boot 10 corresponds to the shape of the opening formed in the floor console or the like. A locking hole 12 for fixing the shift boot 1 to an opening such as a floor console is formed in the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the bottom of the boot 10. The locking holes 12 are locked by locking claws (not shown) formed in an opening frame such as a floor console. In addition, various structures can be employed for the structure in which the periphery of the bottom of the shift boot 1 is attached to a floor console or the like.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the vicinity of the upper end portion of the shift boot 1.
As shown in FIG. 2, the boot 10 is provided so as to cover the upper surface 22 and the side surface 23 of the ring 20, leaving an opening through which the shift lever 40 is inserted. The inner surface in the vicinity of the upper end portion (joining portion 13) of the boot 10 is joined to the inner surface (joining surface 30) of the recess 25 formed in the upper surface 22 of the ring 20.

  Specifically, the weld layer 31 in which the boot 10 and the ring 20 are melted and fixed integrally between the above-described joint locations, that is, between the inner surface of the joint portion 13 of the boot 10 and the joint surface 30 of the ring 20. Is formed. Thereby, the boot 10 and the ring 20 are joined firmly. As described above, in the shift boot 1, when the boot 10 and the ring 20 are joined, a fixing component (such as a pressing band) is not required separately, and thus the number of components can be reduced.

  Here, the sheet material constituting the boot 10 is a composite sheet material including a woven fabric made of a natural material (for example, cotton) and a synthetic resin material. As the synthetic resin material used for the composite sheet material, for example, thermoplastic resins such as polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane are preferable. The material of the ring 20 is, for example, a thermoplastic resin such as polyamide.

  As described above, by employing the thermoplastic resin as the material of the boot 10 and the ring 20, it is possible to easily form the weld layer 31 in which both are melted and fixed integrally. Thereby, the joint strength between the boot 10 and the ring 20 can be increased. The weld layer 31 is formed by ultrasonic vibration welding. Details will be described later.

  Moreover, by using the composite sheet material containing a woven fabric for the boot 10, the woven fabric functions as a reinforcing member, and the strength of the welded layer 31 and the vicinity thereof can be increased. In particular, the woven fabric made of cotton or the like does not melt in the process of forming the welding layer 31, and therefore functions as a reinforcing member that prevents the boot 10 from being broken even in the welding process.

  Further, by covering the upper surface 22 and the side surface 23 of the ring 20 with the boot 10, the ring 20 is not exposed to the outer surface when the shift boot 1 is mounted on the shift lever 40, so that a beautiful appearance can be achieved.

  Moreover, it can prevent that the boot 10 peels by providing the welding layer 31 in the upper surface 22 of the ring 20. FIG. That is, when the welding layer 31 is bonded to the side surface 23 or the bottom surface 24, it is assumed that a tensile force acts in a direction substantially perpendicular to the bonding surface, and the peel strength may be reduced. On the other hand, when the welding layer 31 is provided on the upper surface 22 of the ring 20, the force for peeling off the welding layer 31 acts in a direction substantially parallel to the welding layer 31, so that the peel resistance is improved. .

  Further, the weld layer 31 is formed to be inclined with respect to the cross section of the shift lever 40, that is, the virtual plane perpendicular to the axis of the shift lever 40. In other words, the weld layer 31 is inclined with respect to the cross section of the ring 20. Specifically, a concave portion 25 that is recessed in a substantially annular shape downward is formed on the upper surface 22 of the ring 20, and a weld layer 31 in which the central axis side of the ring 20 is inclined downward is formed on the inner surface of the concave portion 25. ing.

  Thus, by providing the welding layer 31 so as to be inclined with respect to the cross section of the shift lever 40, a large area of the welding layer 31 can be secured. Thereby, the joint strength between the boot 10 and the ring 20 can be increased.

  Further, by forming the welded layer 31 on the inner surface of the recessed portion 25 that is formed on the upper surface 22 of the ring 20 and that is recessed downward, it is possible to prevent a gap from being generated between the shift boot 1 and the shift knob 41 provided thereon. .

  Further, the lower portion of the ring 20 is recessed upward. That is, the portion constituting the side surface 23 of the ring 20 has a cylindrical shape and extends downward from the periphery of the bottom surface 24.

  A positioning structure (for example, a protrusion or a groove) corresponding to the shape of the shift lever 40 is formed on the inner surface of the insertion hole 21 formed in the ring 20, the inner surface of the side surface 23, or the bottom surface 24. Also good.

  By providing a positioning projection or the like on the ring 20, the work of attaching the shift boot 1 to the shift lever 40 or the like can be performed easily and accurately. The positioning structure can also be used in the process of joining the boot 10 and the ring 20.

  3A is a perspective view of the ring 20 before assembly, and FIG. 3B is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. FIG. 2B shows a cross section of FIG. 1A as viewed from the side of the paper.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a recess 25 is formed on the upper surface 22 of the ring 20. The inner surface on the outer peripheral side of the concave portion 25 is inclined with respect to the cross section of the ring 20 and becomes a joint surface 30 to which the boot 10 (see FIG. 2) is welded. Specifically, the joint surface 30 is inclined downward toward the central axis of the ring 20 and forms a substantially mortar-shaped curved surface. Thereby, as above-mentioned, the joining area of the boot 10 and the ring 20 can be enlarged, and joining strength can be raised.

  A structure for positioning the boot 10 and the shift knob 41 (see FIG. 2) may be formed on the upper surface 22 of the ring 20, for example, the inner surface of the recess 25. As the positioning structure, for example, various structures such as a protrusion and a groove that come into contact with or fit into the shift knob 41 can be adopted.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4 (A) and (B), the manufacturing method of the shift boot 1 is demonstrated in detail.
4 (A) and 4 (B) are longitudinal sectional views for explaining the manufacturing method of the shift boot 1, wherein FIG. 4 (A) shows a state before welding, and FIG. 4 (B) shows a state during welding. Is shown.

  First, the composite sheet material including the woven fabric and the synthetic resin material is cut into a predetermined shape and stitched to form the boot 10. Further, the ring 20 made of synthetic resin is formed by injection molding or the like.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4A, the ring 20 is set on a joining jig 46 (fixing jig). Here, positioning may be performed by using positioning protrusions formed on the ring 20. Thereby, the ring 20 can be arrange | positioned easily and correctly, and workability | operativity improves.

  Then, the boot 10 is covered from above the ring 20 set on the jig 46 so as to cover the upper surface 22 and the side surface 23. Here, the boot 10 is arranged such that the opening at the upper end is positioned above the insertion hole 21 of the ring 20. That is, an opening for inserting the shift lever 40 (see FIG. 2) is secured. Here, the boot 10 may be positioned by using positioning protrusions formed on the upper surface 22 of the ring 20. Thereby, the boot 10 can be arrange | positioned easily and correctly.

  The lower surface of the bonding jig 45 (moving jig) corresponds to the shape of the upper surface 22 of the ring 20, and a pressing portion 45 a is formed on the lower surface. The pressing portion 45a is a portion for pressing the joint portion 13 of the boot 10 from above, and the lower surface of the jig 45 is able to push the joint surface 30 slightly (for example, about 0.5 mm) from its periphery. It protrudes downward from.

  The jig 45 is connected to a vibration generator (not shown) via a vibration amplifier (booster) (not shown). The vibration generating device includes, for example, a piezoelectric element and converts an ultrasonic electric signal emitted from an ultrasonic transmitter (not shown) into mechanical vibration.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the pressing portion 45a of the jig 45 is pressed from above the joint portion 13 of the boot 10 placed on the ring 20, and longitudinal vibration is performed at a frequency in the ultrasonic region (for example, 20 kHz). Give and press. As a result, the contact surface between the inner surface of the joint portion 13 and the joint surface 20 of the ring 20 is heated and melted by vibration, and is cooled after stopping the vibration. It is formed. As a result, the boot 10 and the ring 20 are joined.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the weld layer 31 for joining the boot 10 is formed on the upper surface 22 of the ring 20, the jig 45 can be easily pressed from above the ring 20.

  Further, since the joint surface 30 of the ring 20 is inclined so that the center axis side of the ring 20 is downward, the end portion of the boot 10 is pulled in the direction of the center axis of the ring 20 when pressed by the jig 45. . Thereby, it can prevent that the boot 10 slip | deviates to an outer peripheral side, As a result, the fall of the joint strength by the shift | offset | difference of the boot 10 can be prevented.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, there is no need for the work of turning the boot upside down, the work of turning it over again to return it to the original state, the work of attaching the band, the work of sewing the ring, or the like. Therefore, the assembly work of the shift boot 1 becomes easy and the productivity is improved. Moreover, since the welding layer 31 can be formed at high speed using ultrasonic vibration, the time for joining the boot 10 and the ring 20 can be shortened.

  Further, in the prior art, there is a problem that it is difficult to finish the length dimension of the shift boot with high accuracy because it is necessary to fold the upper end of the shift boot in order to fix it. On the other hand, in the shift boot 1 of the present invention, since the upper end portion of the boot 10 can be joined as it is without being folded back, the length of the shift boot 1 can be finished with high accuracy.

  A method of joining the boot 10 and the ring 20 using an adhesive or the like is also conceivable. However, joining with an adhesive requires a step of applying an adhesive, and the number of steps increases. Further, it takes a long time for the adhesive to exhibit a predetermined adhesive strength, and during that time, it is necessary to press and hold the joint with a pressing jig or the like. Furthermore, in order to completely dry the adhesive, a drying process or the like may be required separately. Thus, when an adhesive is used, it is difficult to shorten the production time. In addition, when using a solvent-based adhesive, it is necessary to pay attention to its handling and working environment.

  On the other hand, in this invention, since the welding layer 31 is formed at high speed by the press which gave the ultrasonic vibration, the time for joining can be shortened significantly. For example, the boot 10 and the ring 20 can be welded and joined by ultrasonic vibration for about 10 seconds. Also, do not use materials that require attention when handling solvents. Thus, the shift boot 1 according to the present embodiment is excellent in productivity.

  The shift boot 1 has been described above as an example of the present embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the shape of the welding layer 31 may be deformed by providing unevenness on the bonding surface 30 or combining a plurality of curved surfaces. In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 Shift boot 10 Boot 13 Joint 20 Ring (fixing member)
21 Insertion hole 22 Upper surface 23 Side surface 25 Recessed portion 30 Joint surface 31 Weld layer 40 Shift lever 41 Shift knob

Claims (4)

Boots covering the shift lever,
A fixing member joined near the upper end of the boot and inserted into the shift lever;
The shift boot according to claim 1, wherein a weld layer in which the boot and the fixing member are melted and fixed integrally is formed at a joint portion between the boot and the fixing member. The boot covers an upper surface and an outer peripheral side surface of the fixing member, leaving an opening through which the shift lever is inserted,
The shift boot according to claim 1, wherein the welding layer is formed on an upper surface of the fixing member.   The shift boot according to claim 1, wherein the weld layer is formed to be inclined with respect to a cross section of the shift lever.   The shift boot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the weld layer is formed on an inner surface of a recess formed in the fixing member.

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