JP2770382B2 - Vehicle selector lever device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a selector lever device for a vehicle having an automatic transmission.

(Prior Art) Generally, a selector lever of a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission (hereinafter referred to as an AT vehicle) has a parking position P for mechanically fixing an output shaft of the transmission, and a reverse position R for reversing the vehicle. And a drive position D for performing an automatic shift among a plurality of forward gears, and the like, can be selectively switched to a neutral position N at which transmission of engine output to the output shaft is completely cut off. The operation of switching the selector lever from the parking position to another position is performed while a push button provided on the selector lever is pressed.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) Usually, during parking, in order to surely stop the vehicle,
The selector lever of the AT car is set to the parking position.
Then, at the time of transmission of the vehicle, the selector lever is switched from the parking position to another position after starting the engine. In this case, if the switching operation of the selector lever is performed while the brake pedal is depressed, the vehicle does not suddenly start and there is no problem. However, for example, immediately after the engine was blown off, the parking brake was removed and the selector lever was switched from the parking position to another position without stepping on the brake pedal when the rotation of the engine was high, such as during warm-up operation. In this case, the driving force is rapidly transmitted to the driving wheels of the vehicle, and as a result, contrary to the intention of the driving vehicle,
The vehicle starts suddenly. A sudden start of the vehicle causes an accident.

Therefore, in recent years, it has been desired to provide a technology capable of reliably preventing sudden start of an AT car.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle selector lever device that can surely prevent sudden start of a vehicle without causing erroneous operation of a driving vehicle. .

[Means for Solving the Problems] To achieve the above object, the selector lever device of the present invention can be switched to a plurality of set positions including a parking position where an output shaft of the automatic transmission is fixed. And a lock mechanism that locks the selector lever to the parking position when the brake pedal is not depressed in a state where the selector lever is located at the parking position. A lock pin movably provided between a lock position for locking the selector lever in the parking position and an unlock position for allowing the switching operation of the selector lever;
It has an urging means for urging the lock pin to a lock position, and has one end connected to the brake pedal and the other end connected to the lock pin, and interlocks the lock pin in conjunction with the depression operation of the brake pedal. Connecting means for moving to an unlocked position. The connecting means releases the connection between the lock pin and the brake pedal when a tension equal to or more than a predetermined value acts on the rope member connecting the lock pin and the brake pedal, and the lock pin Connection releasing means for releasing the lock of the selector lever.

(Operation) According to the device having the above configuration, the selector lever cannot be switched from the parking position to another position unless the brake pedal is depressed to release the lock of the selector lever. Therefore, sudden start of the AT car due to erroneous operation of the driver can be reliably prevented. Further, when some failure occurs in the lock mechanism and a tension greater than a predetermined value acts on the cable member, the connection between the brake pedal and the lock pin is released by the connection release means. This prevents the brake operation and the switching operation of the selector lever from being disabled.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 to 5 show a floor type selector lever device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the selector lever device includes a selector lever 10 formed of a hollow metal rod. A knob 12 is fixed to a tip of the selector lever 10, and an operation button 14 is provided on the knob. The base end of the selector lever 10 is inserted through the through hole 20a of the installation plate 20 fixed to the vehicle body, and below the installation plate, the rotating mechanism 2
It is rotatably supported by 1. Therefore, by rotating the selector lever 10, the parking position (P), the reverse position (R), the neutral position (N), the drive position (D), the second gear position (2), the low gear position (1) ) Can be selectively switched over. At the lower end of the selector lever 10, a slit 16 extending in the axial direction of the selector lever is formed, and a dent pin 18 projects outward from this slit. As can be clearly seen from FIG. 2, the detent pin
18 is movable along the slit 16 between a first position shown by a solid line and a second position shown by a broken line. The detent pin 18 is normally held at the first position by a return spring (not shown) provided in the selector lever 10, and is configured to move to the second position in conjunction with the pressing operation of the operation button 14. ing.

On the installation plate 20, a detent plate 22 for holding the selector lever 10 at a desired switching position is provided upright so as to straddle the through hole 20a, and is located opposite to the selector lever. The detent plate 22 has an opening 24 through which the detent pin 18 is inserted. A plurality of steps P, R, N, D, 2, 1 respectively corresponding to the switching position of the selector lever 10 are formed on the side edge of the side of the opening 24 that is separated from the rotating mechanism 21. Have been. In particular, the step portion P is formed deeper than the other step portions and has a substantially concave shape. Then, by engaging the detent pin 18 with the corresponding step portion while the selector lever 10 is rotated to the desired switching position, the selector lever can be held at the desired switching position. When the detent pin 18 is located at the first position, the desired step can be engaged. When the detent pin 18 is moved to the second position, the detent pin 18 is disengaged from the step to perform the switching operation of the selector lever 10. Allow.
The side edge of the opening 24 facing the step portion is a rotating shaft 21 of the rotating mechanism 21.
An arc-shaped guide surface 26 centered at a is formed. The guide surface 26 guides the movement of the detent pin 18 when the selector lever 10 is switched. FIG. 1 shows a state where the selector lever 10 is set to the parking position.

Further, the selector lever device includes a lock mechanism 30 for locking the selector lever 10 to the parking position P. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the lock mechanism
Reference numeral 30 denotes a lock pin 32 movably provided between a lock position for locking the selector lever 10 to the parking position and a release position for releasing the lock, and locks in conjunction with the depression and release operations of the brake pedal 34. A coupling mechanism 36 for moving the pin between the lock position and the release position,
It has.

The lock pin 32 has a cylindrical shape with a closed end,
It is supported by a guide sleeve 38. That is, the guide sleeve 38 has a large-diameter portion 38a having an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the lock pin 32 and a small-diameter portion 38b having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the lock pin. The lock pin 32 is slidably inserted into the large-diameter portion 38a, and is supported so as to be able to protrude and retract from the distal end of the large-diameter portion. The guide sleeve 38 is fixed to the detent plate 22 by a mounting plate 40. In particular, when the lock pin 32 protrudes from the tip of the large-diameter portion 38a as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, that is, when the lock pin 32 moves to the lock position,
The detent pin 18 of the selector lever 10 located at the parking position is disposed so as to move to a position that prevents the detent pin 18 from moving from the first position to the second position. In this embodiment, the lock pin 32 is located at the lock position at a position substantially orthogonal to the direction of movement of the detent pin 18 at the parking position and overlapping the second position of the detent pin. Further, the guide sleeve 38 is disposed so as to be located outside the movement path of the detent pin 18 when the lock pin 32 is retracted into the guide sleeve, that is, when it moves to the unlock position.

A compression coil spring 42 as an urging member is housed in the large-diameter portion 38a of the guide sleeve 38. One end of the spring is located at the base end of the lock pin 32, and the other end is a stepped portion of the guide sleeve 38.
38c respectively. The spring 42 has a free length longer than the length L of the large-diameter portion 38a, and is compressed and stored in a state of being accommodated in the large-diameter portion as shown in FIG. Therefore, the lock pin 32 is always urged by the spring 42 toward the direction in which it protrudes from the guide sleeve 38, that is, toward the lock position.

On the other hand, the brake pedal 34 is rotatably supported by a rotation shaft 45 on a support bracket 44 fixed to the vehicle body. At one end of the rotation shaft 45, an operation lever 46 that rotates integrally with the rotation shaft in accordance with the depression operation of the brake pedal 34 is fixed. The lever 46 is connected to the lock pin 32 via the shift lock cable 48 of the connection mechanism 36.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the cable 48 has an outer tube 50 and an inner cable 52 slidably inserted through the tube. Both ends of the cable 52 protrude from both ends of the tube 50, respectively. One end of the tube 50 is inserted and fixed in the small diameter portion 38b of the guide sleeve 38. Also, one end of the cable 52 is
It passes through the inside of the spring 42 and is connected to the lock pin 32. Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a cylindrical spacer 54 as a first continuous inspection member is fitted into the base end opening of the lock pin 32. The spacer 54 has a plurality of projections 56 projecting radially from the outer periphery thereof, and these projections are fitted in a plurality of through holes 58 formed in the lock pin 32, respectively. The spacer 54 is formed of a synthetic resin. One end of the cable 52 is inserted into the lock pin 32 through the inner hole of the spacer 54, and is fixed to the stopper 60 located in the lock pin. Retaining 60
Has an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the spacer 54 and smaller than the inner diameter of the lock pin 32, and prevents the cable 52 from coming off from the lock pin. Also, each protrusion 56 of the spacer 54
Is formed with a strength such that the spacer is cut off from the spacer when a force equal to or more than a predetermined value along the axial direction acts on the spacer. And these projections 56 are spacers 54
If the cable 52 is disconnected from the lock pin 32, the spacer is released from the lock pin 32, whereby the connection between the cable 52 and the lock pin 32 is released. As a result, the lock pin 32 is pushed out of the guide sleeve 38 by the spring 42. Thus, the first
The spacer 54 as a connecting member constitutes a part of the continuous release means in the present invention.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a cylindrical mounting member 60 is fixed to the other end of the outer tube 50. A screw portion is formed on the outer periphery of the member 60, and a pair of nuts 62 are screwed into the screw portion. And
The other end of the tube 50 is fixed to the bracket 44 by a nut 62. The other end of the cable 52 projecting from the mounting member 60 is connected to a cable end 64 as a second connecting member. Cable end 64 is base 64a
The base is rotatably mounted on a support pin 66 protruding from the operation lever 46 of the brake pedal 34.
The cable end 64 has a pair of parallel legs 64b extending from the base 64a. A ball 68 is fixed to the other end of the cable 52, and the ball is fitted between the legs 64b. Here, the cable end 64 is formed of a synthetic resin, and when a force of a predetermined value or more along the direction in which the cable end and the cable 52 are separated from each other acts on the cable end 64, the leg portion 64b is in a direction in which the leg portions 64b are separated from each other. The ball 68 is formed so as to be elastically deformed so that the ball 68 comes off between the legs.
The cable end 64 as a second connecting member constitutes a part of the connection releasing means.

As described above, since the lock pin 32 is connected to the brake pedal 34 via the connecting mechanism 36, when the brake pedal 34 is not depressed as shown by a solid line in FIG. Spring 42 provided in 38
Thus, it is held at a lock position protruding from the guide sleeve. When the brake pedal 34 is depressed as shown by a dashed line in FIG. 1, the cable 52 is pulled toward the brake pedal, whereby the lock pin 34 resists the urging force of the spring 42. It is moved to the inside of the guide sleeve 38, that is, to the unlock position.

The dimensions of each part of the lock mechanism are set such that the following relationship is established when the lock mechanism 30 is properly attached to the vehicle body and the brake pedal 34 is not depressed. As shown in FIG. 3, the distance between the tip of the leg 64b of the cable end 64 and the end of the mounting member 60 is L ₂ , and the ball 68
Assuming that the distance between the mounting member 60 and the end of the mounting member 60 is L ₁ , and the overlap length of the lock pin 32 with respect to the guide sleeve 38 is L ₃ , these dimensions satisfy the relationship of L ₁ > L ₃ > L _2. Is set to

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 70 denotes a key cylinder. The key cylinder has a key interface that allows the ignition key 72 to be removed from the key cylinder only when the selector lever 10 is set to the parking position. A lock mechanism is provided.

Next, the operation of the selector lever device configured as described above will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, when the vehicle is parked,
When the selector lever 10 is set to the parking position, the push button 14 is not pressed, and the brake pedal 34 is not depressed, the detent pin 18
Is located at the first position, and the step P of the detent plate 22
Is engaged. Since the brake pedal 34 is not depressed, the lock pin 32 of the lever lock mechanism 30
Is held in the locked position. Therefore, the detent pin 18 is prevented from moving from the first position to the second position by the lock pin 32, and is locked at the first position shown. Therefore, even if the operation button 14 is pressed, the detent pin 18 cannot be moved to the second position, and the selector lever 10 is held in a state where the switching operation cannot be performed.

Switching operation of the selector lever 10 is performed by the brake pedal 34
It becomes possible only by stepping on. That is, when the brake pedal 32 is depressed, the operation lever 46 is rotated clockwise around the rotation shaft 45. With the rotation of the lever 46, the cable 52 of the lock cable 48 is connected to the lock pin 32.
Into the guide sleeve 38. As a result, the lock pin 32 is moved to the unlocked position where it has retreated from the moving path of the detent pin 18, as shown in FIG. As a result, the lock of the detent pin 18 is released, and the detent pin 18 can be moved from the first position to the second position. In this state, when the push button 14 of the selector lever 10 is pressed, the detent pin 18 moves from the first position to the second position and disengages from the step P. As a result, the switching operation of the selector lever 10 is performed. Becomes possible. After the selector lever 10 is switched from the parking position to, for example, the drive position D, when the depression force of the brake pedal 34 is released, the lock pin 32 is urged by the spring 42 to return to the lock position, and waits there.

When the selector lever 10 is switched from the drive position D to the parking position P again, for example, first, the operation button
Pressing 14 moves the detent pin 18 to the second position to disengage it from the step D. In this state, the selector lever 10
Is rotated to the parking position P. Where the lock pin
Reference numeral 32 is held at the lock position and protrudes on the movement path of the detent pin 18. Therefore, during the rotation of the selector lever 10, the detent pin 18 contacts the tip of the lock pin 32,
The lock pin is pushed toward the unlock position against the urging force of the spring. Therefore, the selector lever 10 can be turned to the parking position P. Subsequently, when the pressing force applied to the push button 14 is removed, the detent pin 18 returns from the second position to the first position by the action of the return spring, and engages with the step P of the detent plate 22. Combine. As a result, the selector lever 10 is moved to the parking position P
Is held. At the same time, when the detent pin 18 moves to the first position, the pressing force for pressing the lock pin 32 toward the unlock position is released. Therefore, the lock pin 32 is moved to the lock position again by the spring 42, and locks the detent pin 18 at the first position. As a result, the state shown in FIG. 1 is set again, and the selector lever 10 is locked at the parking position P.

According to the selector lever device configured as described above, since the lever lock mechanism 30 that operates in conjunction with the depression operation of the brake pedal is provided, the selector lever is moved to the parking position unless the brake pedal is depressed. A structure that cannot be operated for switching from a position to another position can be obtained. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent sudden start of the vehicle even if the selector lever is switched during the warm-up operation, immediately after the idling, or the like, without causing a driver's erroneous operation.

On the other hand, if the lock mechanism 30 fails for any reason,
For example, when the lock pin 32 is fixed to the guide sleeve 38 and cannot be moved in the direction of the lock release position, the brake pedal does not rotate even if the brake pedal 34 is depressed with a normal depression force. In such a case, the brake pedal 34 is depressed more strongly. As a result, the inner cable 52 of the shift lock cable 48 is applied with a larger tension than the tension applied during normal braking operation. This excessive tension acts as a shearing force on the base end of each protrusion 56 of the spacer 54, and when this shearing force exceeds the above-mentioned predetermined value, each protrusion is cut off from the spacer at the base end. Therefore, the spacer 54 is pulled out of the lock pin 32 by the cable 52, and at the same time, the lock pin is pushed out of the tip of the guide sleeve 38 by the spring 42 and falls.
As a result, the cable 52 can be freely moved in accordance with the operation of the brake pedal, and the brake operation can be prevented from being hindered by the lock mechanism 30. Also lock pin
Since the 32 falls off the guide sleeve 38, the lock of the detent pin 18 is released. Therefore, the shift lever
It is possible to prevent the switching from the parking position P to another position from being disabled.

The excessive tension of the cable 52 also acts on the cable end 64 via the ball 68. Therefore, the leg 64b of the cable end 64 tends to deform in a direction in which the ball 68 comes off from the cable end. However, in this embodiment, the cable end 64 is
Is formed so as to deform when subjected to a force greater than the cutting force. Therefore, when the brake pedal 34 is depressed strongly with the lock pin 32 fixed, the projection 56 of the spacer 54 is cut first, and the cable end 64 is not deformed.

Also, when the cable 52 is cut for some reason, the lock pin 32 is pushed out from the distal end of the guide sleeve 38 together with a part of the cable 52 by the urging force of the spring 42 in the same manner as described above. Therefore, also in such a case, the securing of the brake operation and the switching of the selector lever 10 are guaranteed.

Further, when the middle portion of the lock cable 48 is pressed and the inner cable 52 is fixed, and the inner cable cannot be moved in the direction of the brake pedal 34, the brake pedal 34 can be depressed with a normal depression force. Brake pedal does not rotate. In such a case, the brake pedal
Step 34 more strongly. As a result, the inner cable 52
Of these, a tension greater than the tension that acts during normal braking is applied to the portion between the fixed portion and the cable end 64. This excessive tension acts on the fitting portion between the cable end 64 and the ball 68 in a direction in which the ball 68 is pulled out from the cable end. When this tension exceeds the above-mentioned predetermined value, the arm portions 64b of the cable end 64 are elastically deformed in a direction away from each other, and the ball 68 is pulled out from the cable end. As a result, the brake pedal 34 can freely rotate, and as a result, the brake operation can be performed without being disturbed by the lock mechanism 30. At the same time, the biasing force of the spring 42 moves the cable 52 together with the lock pin 32 in a direction in which the cable 52 comes off the guide sleeve 38, and the lock pin and the distal end of the cable 52 fall off the guide sleeve 38. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lock of the selector lever 10 from being released and the lever 10 from being switched from the parking position P to another position.

Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 3, the overlap length L ₃ of the lock pin 32 with respect to the guide sleeve 38, attachment member 60
It is set to be smaller than the protruding length L ₁ of the cable 52 from. Therefore, when the ball 68 comes off from the cable end 64, the lock pin 32 is surely dropped from the guide sleeve 38.

As described above, even if any failure occurs in the lock mechanism 30, the connection between the brake pedal 34 and the lock pin 32 can be released by the connection release means. It is possible to reliably prevent the switching operation from being disabled.

The dimensions of each part of the lock mechanism 30 are as described above.
Since the relationship of L ₁ > L ₃ > L ₂ is set, the lock mechanism can be easily assembled to the vehicle body. That is, before the lock mechanism 30 is assembled to the brake pedal 34 and the detent plate 22, the lock pin 32 is urged by the spring 42 in a direction to protrude from the guide sleeve 38. Similarly, the inner cable 52 and the cable end 64 are urged in the same direction by the spring 42, and move in the above-mentioned direction until the distal end of the cable end 64 contacts the mounting member 60. Here, if L ₃ <L ₂ is set,
When the cable end 64 is moved by L _2, the lock pin 32 fall out from the guide sleeve 38. Therefore, while assembling the lock mechanism 30 to the vehicle body,
Lock pin against guide sleeve 38 against urging force of spring 42
The work must be performed while being pushed inside. However, according to the present embodiment, since L ₃ > L ₂ is set, even if the cable end 64 moves by L ₂ , the lock pin 32 is still held by the guide sleeve 38 and falls off the guide sleeve. Never do. Therefore, when assembling the lock mechanism 30, there is no need to use any means to hold the lock pin 32 in the guide sleeve 38,
Workability is greatly improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, when the brake pedal 34 is strongly depressed in a state where the lock pin 32 is fixed, the spacer 54 is detached from the lock pin 32. However, the connection between the cable end 64 and the inner cable 52 may be released simultaneously with the removal of the spacer 54. Further, the connection between the cable end 64 and the inner cable 52 may be released prior to the detachment of the spacer 54.

The lock pin 32 and the spacer 54 may be configured as shown in FIG.

According to this modification, an annular engagement groove 70 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lock pin 32. The spacer 54 has an annular projection 72 fitted in the engagement groove 70 instead of the projection. Then, the protrusion 72 is applied to the spacer 54 via the inner cable 52 of the lock cable 48 by a tension of a predetermined value or more.
Is formed so as to be cut from the spacer when acting on the spacer.

In the case of using the spacer 54 configured as described above,
The same advantages as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

Further, in the above embodiment, the connection release means has the first and second connection members. However, even when only one of the connection members is provided, that is, only one end of the inner cable 52 is provided. The same advantages as those of the above embodiment can be obtained even when is configured so that the connection can be released.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the selector lever device of the present invention is configured such that the selector lever cannot be switched from the parking position to another position unless the brake pedal is depressed to release the lock of the selector lever. ing. Therefore, a sudden start of the vehicle can be reliably prevented without inviting an erroneous operation of the driver.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 to 5 show a selector lever device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view showing the entire device, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a selector lever, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a connecting member, FIG. 5 is a side view showing a part of the device in an operation state different from that of FIG. 1, FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the connecting member. 10 ... Selector lever, 18 ... Detent pin, 22 ...
Detent plate, 30 lock mechanism, 34 brake pedal, 36 coupling mechanism, 48 shift lock cable.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A selector lever device for a vehicle having an automatic transmission, comprising: a selector lever provided to be switchable to a plurality of set positions including a parking position to which an output shaft of the automatic transmission is fixed. A lock mechanism that locks the selector lever to the parking position when the brake lever is not depressed while the selector lever is at the parking position. The locking mechanism moves the selector lever to the parking position. A lock pin movably provided between a lock position to be locked and an unlock position allowing a switching operation of the selector lever, an urging means for urging the lock pin to the lock position, and one end connected to the brake pedal And the other end connected to the lock pin, and interlocks with the depressing operation of the brake pedal Connecting means for moving the lock pin to an unlocked position, wherein the connecting means comprises: a cable member connecting the lock pin and a brake pedal; and a tension greater than or equal to a predetermined value acts on the cable member. Disconnection means for releasing the connection between the lock pin and the brake pedal and releasing the lock of the selector lever by the lock pin.