JP3185896B2 - Operating device for automatic transmission for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an operating device for an automatic transmission for a vehicle, and more particularly to an operating device for an automatic transmission for a vehicle provided near an instrument panel facing a steering handle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an operating device for an automatic transmission is provided on a center console between left and right front seats. In this case, however, a space on a floor becomes narrow and obstructive. Techniques for providing the panel are also known. For example, Jiko 60-10
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 911, an operating device is provided on an upper portion of an instrument panel, a shift operating lever (select lever) is provided in a state of being inserted into a guide slit of an upper wall portion of the instrument panel, and the shift operating lever is substantially upright. (Slightly inclined backward from the vertical direction), and a grommet is attached to the outer edge of the guide slit to prevent interference sound between the shift operation lever and the outer edge of the guide slit. There is described an operating device provided with an impact absorbing mechanism at an intermediate portion of the operating lever for absorbing an impact at the time of a secondary collision with the occupant on the shift operating lever.

[0003]

In the operating device described in the above-mentioned publication, the shift operation lever is provided substantially vertically and is inserted into the upper wall of the instrument panel. There is a problem that the distance to the shift operation lever becomes longer and the operability of the shift operation lever is reduced. Therefore, it is conceivable to provide the shift operation lever of the operating device so that the vertical wall portion of the instrument panel on the vehicle interior side is inserted. In this case, a mechanism for supporting the shift operating lever is provided by an instrument near the operating device. Since the panel is reinforced, it is not preferable in increasing the safety of the occupant in a secondary collision with respect to the instrument panel in the event of a vehicle collision. Also, the appearance of the operating device for grayed Lome <br/> Tsu preparative is exposed to the passenger compartment is lowered. An object of the present invention is to provide an operating device for an automatic transmission for a vehicle more may further improve safety during Ku secondary impact, such that lead to superior and appearance decrease in operability.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention , there is provided an operating device for an automatic transmission for a vehicle, comprising: an operating device main body provided in an instrument panel in front of a seat; the operation apparatus of an automatic transmission for a vehicle having a shift lever extending protrude into, Instrumental
Arranged so as to face the passenger compartment to the face of the cabin side of the torque instrument panel
A cover member formed with an insertion hole for the shift operation lever, the cover member of the operation device main body, and a vehicle body.
Vehicle body with respect to the cover member at a position facing in the front-back direction
Are arranged with a predetermined gap in the longitudinal direction, and a slit forming wall portion having a guide slit for guiding the shift lever in the shift position, it is formed between the cover member and the slit formation wall portion wherein the gap is provided with a loose衝部material that having a resiliency.

[0005]

According to the first aspect, the shift operation lever is provided with a seat.
Because the bets provided in front of the instrument panel operating apparatus main body is provided in the projecting shape to the cabin side, the distance from the steering wheel to the shift operating lever is reduced, the operability of the shift lever can be improved. Furthermore,
Cover member formed with an insertion hole for the shift operation lever
Faces the cabin on the cabin side of the instrument panel
And the shift operation lever is moved to each shift position.
Slits with guide slits for guiding
The wall is formed by the cover member of the operation device main body and the front and rear of the vehicle body.
Front and rear of the vehicle body with respect to the cover member at a position facing
Are spaced a predetermined gap direction, the gap formed between the cover member and the slit formation wall portion, since the slow衝部material you Yes <br/> elasticity is provided, the vehicle Even if the occupant makes a secondary collision with the instrument panel near the operating device at the time of a frontal collision, the impact can be absorbed by deforming the cover member and the cushioning member, and the safety of the occupant during the secondary collision can be reduced. Can be improved . In a further, because with a cover member buffer member is covered, it is possible to prevent the buffer member is exposed to the vehicle compartment side can be prevented the decrease appearance of the operating device. In the second aspect, a slit having the same shape as the guide slit is formed in the buffer member, and the buffer member is provided so that a middle portion of the shift operation lever can pass through the slit. The shock absorbing effect and the interference sound absorbing effect can be further improved by increasing the value as much as possible.

[0006]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained as described in the above section of the operation. According to the first aspect, the operating device main body is provided in the instrument panel in front of the seat , and the shift operating lever protruding from the operating device main body toward the vehicle compartment is provided. it is remarkably improved, the gap formed between the cover member and the slit formation wall portion, is provided with the gentle衝部material that Yusuke <br/> elasticity, deformation of the cover member and the cushioning member with an energy absorbing action of, we can improve the safety of the passengers by absorbing impact during secondary impact acting on the occupant, since the buffer member is covered with a cover member,
Effects such as a reduction in the appearance of the operating device can be obtained. According to the second aspect, a slit having the same shape as the guide slit is formed in the buffer member, and the buffer member is provided so that the intermediate portion of the operation lever can pass through the slit. increased to the impact-absorbing operation
More can be further improved.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to an operation device of an automatic transmission of an automobile. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an instrument panel 2 is provided at the front of the left and right front seats 1.
An instrument panel frame 3 extending in the vehicle width direction is provided inside the instrument panel. Both left and right ends of the instrument panel frame 3 are fixed to the vicinity of the upper ends of left and right hinge pillars (not shown). 4 are provided,
A central bulging portion 5 bulging rearward is provided at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction of the instrument panel 2, and a steering link column 6 extending rearward and protruding to the right of the central bulging portion 5.
A steering shaft 7 is provided at the right end of the instrument panel 2 so as to be rotatable and extends through a substantially central portion of the steering column 6 so as to protrude toward the driver's seat side. A steering handle 8 is fixed, and an operating device 10 for shifting the automatic transmission 9 is provided near a right end of the central bulging portion 5 facing the left end of the steering handle 8, and the operating device 10 is a bracket. It is fixedly supported by the instrument panel frame 3 through the member 11 in a substantially inclined direction in the front-rear direction and downwardly downward.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the operating device 10 includes an operating device main body 12 and a shift operation lever 13 extending rearward from the operating device main body 12. The shift operation lever 13 is turned around the first shaft member 14 in the vehicle width direction and the second shaft member 15 in the front-rear direction.
There is provided a lever support mechanism 16 rotatably supported around each other, and an output lever 17 of the lever support mechanism 16 is connected to an input lever 19 of the automatic transmission 9 via a push-pull wire 18, and The shift range is switched according to the rotational operation position of the shift operation lever 13 around the first shaft member 14.

The shift operation lever 13 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 5, a lever main body 26 formed of a substantially straight rod-shaped member oriented in the front-rear direction in a plan view, and a hollow and elastic operation knob 27 made of synthetic resin are provided rearward from the operation device main body 12. In the vicinity of the rear end of the extended lever body 26, there is provided a shock absorbing portion 26 a formed to be bent diagonally to the left (the side opposite to the steering shaft 7 side). The grip portion 27a is moved leftward with respect to the lever body 26 (the shock absorbing portion 2).
6a). Since the shift operation lever 13 is configured as described above, even in the event that the occupant has a secondary collision with the shift operation lever 13 due to a frontal collision or the like, the shock absorbing portion 26a deforms toward the instrument panel 2 side. In addition, the impact at the time of the secondary collision can be effectively absorbed.

Referring to FIG. 3 to FIG. 7, a box-shaped front casing 20 having a front end opening extending rearward is fixed to the rear wall surface of the bracket member 11, as shown in FIGS. A rear cane sig 21 is attached and fixed to the casing 20 so as to surround the rear half thereof, and a curved slit forming wall 21a bulging rearward is formed at a rear end of the rear casing 21; A first guide slit 22 having a shape as shown in FIG. 7 is formed at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction of 21a, and a decorative panel (corresponding to a cover member) 23 facing the vehicle compartment is formed on the rear side of the rear casing 21. Panel support member 2 for supporting
4, the rear wall portion 24a and the decorative panel 23 of the panel support member 24 are formed in a curved shape that bulges rearward similarly to the slit forming wall portion 21a of the rear casing 21. A portion facing the guide slit 22 has a second substantially same shape as the first guide slit 22.
A guide slit 25 is provided, and the shift operation lever 13 is provided.
The lever body 26 extends through the guide slits 22 and 25 and protrudes rearward from the operating device body 12. However, the second guide slit 25 is the panel support member 2
The inner wall 4 is provided so as not to be exposed.

The lever support mechanism 16 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the front casing 20 has a plate-like fixing portion 28a elongated in the front-rear direction and a fixing portion 2a.
A lever support member 28 having a substantially U-shaped connecting portion 28b extending in the right direction from the rear end of the lower end of the lever body 8a is provided. The front half of the lever main body 26 is fixed to the fixed portion 28a. Has a first shaft member 1 oriented in the vehicle width direction.
A sleeve 29 is rotatably provided on the first shaft member 14 in the front casing 20, and a bearing extending between a pair of upper and lower walls 28 c of the connecting portion 28 b is provided near the right end of the sleeve 29. A portion 29a is formed, and a substantially vertically-oriented second shaft member 15 that penetrates the bearing portion 29a so as to be relatively rotatable is pivotally supported between the upper and lower wall portions 28c, and between the upper wall portion 28c and the bearing portion 29a. A spring member 30 is externally fitted to the second shaft member 15, the lever support member 28 is urged through the spring member 30 in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5, and the right end of the sleeve 29 is provided with the front casing 20. An output lever 17 is provided extending from the opening 31 formed in the right side wall in an upwardly inclined shape. One end of the push-pull wire 18 is provided near the front end of the output lever 17 and connected to a pin member 32. There.

The shift operation lever 13 is rotatably supported around a first shaft member 14 and a second shaft member 15, respectively, and as shown in FIG. , N, D, 2, 1
It is configured to be movable along the guide slit 22, and the middle of the lever main body 26 is moved to the first position by the bias of the spring member 30.
It is pressed against the left edge of the guide slit 22 and is maintained in a desired shift range. As shown in FIG. 3, the operating device 10 includes an electromagnetic actuator 33 for shift lock.
And a regulating portion 34 extending rightward from the rear end of the fixing portion 28a.
Is provided, and in a state where the shift operation lever 13 is held at the parking range position,
Even if the ignition key is operated and the engine is driven, unless the brake pedal is depressed, the electromagnetic actuator 33 restricts the rightward movement of the restricting portion 34 and prohibits shifting operation from the parking range position to another range. Thus, it is configured to prevent sudden start of the car.

At a substantially central portion of the panel support member 24,
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, a lever insertion space 35 is formed so as to include the second guide slit 25 when viewed from the front, and a left and right end near the rear end of the lever insertion space 35 is a pair of front and rear. Guide rails 36 are formed in a curved shape swelling rearward (toward the passenger compartment) along the rear wall portion 24a of the panel support member 24, and a flexible front-rear direction is provided between the left and right guide rails 36. An elongated flat shutter member 37 is guided and supported, the rear end of the lever insertion space 35 is closed via the shutter member 37, and the shutter member 37 is formed with an elongated guide hole 37a in the left-right direction. The vicinity of the rear end is inserted into the guide hole 37a so as to be swingable in the left-right direction, so that the shutter member 37 moves along the guide rail 36 together with the lever main body 26 even when the shift operation lever 13 is operated. The rear end of the lever insertion space 35 is always held in the closed state. Thus, the inner wall of the panel support member 24 is not exposed through the second guide slit 25.

On the rear end surface of the slit forming wall portion 21a of the rear casing 21, a shock absorbing member 50 made of urethane foam or synthetic rubber having sound absorbing properties having elasticity is adhered inside the lever insertion space 35. A guide slit 51 having the same shape as the first guide slit 22 through which the lever body 26 is inserted is formed in the center of the buffer member 50. The decorative panel 23, as shown in FIGS.
A panel member 40 made of translucent synthetic resin and a panel member 4
0, and a synthetic resin base material 41 provided on the front side of
A display slit 42 in which the shape of the second guide slit 25 is simplified is formed in the right portion of the base material 41.
The inside of the display slit 42 of the front end face of the
Each shift range P, R, N, D,
The characters P, R, N, D, 2, 1 are printed in reverse characters corresponding to the positions 2, 1, and are printed so as to surround the characters P, R, N, D, 2, 1, respectively. The inside of the circle is formed of a transparent panel member 40. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a housing 43 having a rear end opening is formed on the right side of the panel support member 24 so as to surround the display slit 42 in a front view. Is provided with a lamp 44 extending into the housing 43 at a position substantially corresponding to the rear end of the decorative panel 23 (a position substantially corresponding to the shift range D).

The panel support member 24 and the decorative panel 23
Is made of a synthetic resin member having lower strength and rigidity than the rear casing 21, and is configured to be deformed forward when an excessive load is applied due to an occupant's secondary collision or the like. A hold switch 45 is provided on the left side near the front end of the decorative panel 23.
As shown in FIG. 6, when the shift operation lever 13 is held at any one of the shift ranges D, 2, 1 as shown in FIG. It is arranged so that the hold switch 45 can be operated with the index finger or the middle finger of the user.

Next, the operation of the operation device 10 will be described. Since the shift operation lever 13 is provided in the instrument panel 2 near a portion facing the left end of the steering handle 8 so as to protrude toward the vehicle interior, the shift operation lever 13 is moved to the steering wheel 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the steering handle 8 is gripped with both hands, and the shift operation lever 13 is operated with the forefinger and / or middle finger of the left hand, or the steering handle 8 is separated from the steering handle 8 as shown in FIG. Since the cyst operation lever 13 can be operated only by slightly extending the left hand forward, the operability of operating the shift operation lever 13 is excellent. The lever insertion space 35 and the accommodating portion 43 function as an impact absorbing space that allows the panel support member 24 and the decorative panel 23 to deform forward, and when the occupant collides with the operating device main body 12 due to a frontal collision or the like. Is an energy absorbing effect due to the forward deformation of the panel support member 24 and the decorative panel 23, thereby absorbing a shock to the occupant. Moreover, since the cushioning member 50 having elasticity is provided in the lever insertion space 35, it is possible to more effectively absorb the impact to the occupant. The shift operation lever 13 is pressed against the left edge of the first guide slit 22 by the spring force of the spring member 30 and is held at a desired shift position. Interference sound is generated by contacting the left edge of the first guide slit 22, and this interference sound is greatly reduced by the sound absorbing effect of the buffer member 50.

As described above, the operability of operating the shift operation lever 13 can be improved, and the shock absorbing member 50 having a simple structure is provided. To be able to more effectively absorb the impact of the occupant during a secondary collision,
The effect that the interference sound at the time of the shift operation can be greatly reduced by the sound absorbing function of the buffer member 50 is obtained. still,
The buffer member 50 may be provided in substantially all of the lever insertion space 35 except for the moving space of the lever main body 26, or may be provided in the housing portion 43. The two casings 21 and 22 are connected so that the rear casing 21 can move relatively forward with respect to the front casing 20, and in the event of a secondary collision of an occupant in a frontal collision or the like, the operating device main body 12 is closed.
When a large forward load acts on the rear casing 21, the rear casing 21 may relatively move toward the front casing 20. In this embodiment, the operating device 1
Although the transmission 0 and the automatic transmission 9 are mechanically linked via the push-pull wire 18, they may be electrically linked. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a right-hand drive vehicle, but the present invention can be similarly applied to a left-hand drive vehicle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the vicinity of an instrument panel.

FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram of an operation device.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the operation device.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the operating device.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the operating device.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the operation device.

FIG. 7 is a development view of a first guide slit.

FIG. 8 is a plan view near a steering column.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 instrument panel 8 steering handle 9 automatic transmission 10 operating device 12 operating device main body 13 shift operating lever 23 decorative panel 21a slit forming wall portion 22 first guide slit 50 cushioning member 51 guide slit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60K 20/00-20/08 F16H 59/00-59/12

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An automatic transmission for a vehicle, comprising: an operating device main body provided in an instrument panel in front of a seat; and a shift operating lever protruding from the operating device main body to a vehicle compartment side. the operation apparatus of the machine, so that faces the passenger compartment to the face of the passenger compartment side of the instrument panel
And an insertion hole for the shift operation lever is formed.
Cover member, and the cover member of the operating device main body and the vehicle front-rear direction.
It is arranged at a predetermined interval in the vehicle longitudinal direction relative to the cover member at a position facing, and a slit forming wall portion having a guide slit for guiding the shift lever in the shift position, and the cover member It is formed between the slits forming walls
In the gap, operating apparatus for a vehicular automatic transmission, characterized in that a loose衝部material that having a resiliency. 2. The buffer member according to claim 1, wherein a slit having the same shape as the guide slit is formed in the buffer member, and the buffer member is provided so that a middle portion of the shift operation lever is inserted through the slit. Operating device for automatic transmission for vehicles.