JP3853869B2 - Auto change lever structure for automobile - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an auto change lever structure for an automobile that is provided in the vicinity of a driver's seat of an automobile and is used for a shift change operation.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the vicinity of the driver's seat of an automatic vehicle, an auto change device is provided at an easy-to-operate position, and the power transmission ratio of the engine is changed by operating this auto change device, or the neutral range where the engine rotation is not transmitted to the wheels. A so-called shift change operation is performed.
[0003]
Conventionally, such an auto change device has a gate portion having a shift groove corresponding to a plurality of shift states, a detent portion having a corrugated detent groove to obtain a moderation feeling, and is rotatable around a support shaft. It has a basic configuration with a pivoted change lever.
[0004]
The change lever includes a shift pin configured to be changeable between a shift position inserted into the shift groove and a shift release position removed from the shift groove. The position of the shift pin is changed by operating the operation piece attached to the change lever. With the shift pin positioned at the shift release position, the change lever is rotated around the support shaft, and the operation at the predetermined rotation position is performed. By returning the shift pin to the shift position by reverse operation of the one piece, the shift pin fits into a predetermined shift groove, and thereby a desired shift state is obtained.
[0005]
The change lever has a roller biased in the direction of the detent groove by the biasing means. When the change lever is rotated around the support shaft, the roller gets over the peak of the detent groove, so that a sense of moderation of the shift change operation can be obtained by the feeling when the change lever is passed.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the conventional auto change lever structure as described above, since the shift pin is made of metal, the shift pin collides with the groove wall of the shift groove when the change lever is rotated, and an unpleasant collision sound is generated. Has a point.
[0007]
In addition, in order to give moderation to the operation of the shift lever, a detent groove is formed separately from the shift groove, and the roller integrated with the change lever is fitted into this detent groove, so the structure becomes complicated, and parts accordingly As the number of points increases, the part cost increases, and the positional relationship between the shift groove and detent groove and the positional relationship between the shift pin and the roller must be set appropriately. As a result, dimensional management during production is strictly performed. Therefore, the manufacturing cost increases.
[0008]
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides an auto change lever structure for an automobile that is easy to manufacture with a simple structure and that does not generate unpleasant metallic noise during operation. The purpose is to do.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An auto change lever structure for an automobile according to claim 1 of the present invention is an auto change lever structure for an automobile comprising a detent member fixed to a vehicle body and a change lever attached to the detent member. The detent member includes a base fixed to the vehicle body, a detent plate standing on the base, a support shaft provided on the base end side of the detent plate, and a groove formed on the front end side of the detent plate. The groove forming portion has a plurality of detent grooves arranged on a circular locus centering on the axis of the support shaft, and the change lever is pivoted to the support shaft on the base end side. A cylindrical lever rod that is freely supported and a shift pin provided in correspondence with the circular locus on the lever rod. The shift pin is fitted in the detent groove. And shift position, is positioned capable of changing between a shift releasing position exit from the detent groove, the detent groove extends from the center of rotation of the change lever in the radial direction at the bottom, and a pair of facing each other It is characterized by comprising a shift groove portion made of a side wall and a detent groove portion that is widened toward the tip end side of the shift groove portion .
[0010]
According to this auto change lever structure for an automobile, the shift lever is set to the shift position where the shift pin is fitted in the detent groove, so that the change lever is in a predetermined shift state and the shift release position where the shift pin is pulled out of the detent groove. Since the change lever can be shifted to another shift state and the detent groove shares the function of the conventional shift groove, the detent groove is the same as before. It is not necessary to provide a shift groove in addition to the above, and therefore, when a shift groove is provided, the dimensional management must be strictly performed at the time of manufacturing in order to properly set the positional relationship between the detent groove and the shift groove. To be released.
[0011]
In addition, the detent groove has a shift groove portion that includes a pair of side walls that extend in the radial direction from the rotation center of the change lever at the bottom and is opposed to each other, and a widening detent groove portion that extends to the front end side of the shift groove portion. due to the provision of the bets, of the detent groove, the shift grooves serve shift setting, detent grooves serve click feeling imparting upon change lever operation.
[0012]
Auto change lever structure for an automobile according to claim 2 of the present invention, in the automatic shift lever structure for an automobile according to claim 1 Symbol placement, the detent plate is provided in a pair so as to sandwich the lever rod, the The shift pins are provided in pairs so as to correspond to the detent grooves formed in each detent plate.
[0013]
According to this auto change lever structure for automobiles, the lever rod is sandwiched between a pair of detent plates, and a pair of shift pins are provided so as to correspond to the detent grooves of each detent plate. It will be structurally durable.
[0014]
The auto change lever structure for an automobile according to claim 3 of the present invention is the auto change lever structure for an automobile according to claim 2 , wherein a cylindrical buffer member is fitted on at least one of the pair of shift pins. It is characterized by being.
[0015]
According to this auto change lever structure for an automobile, even if the buffer roller collides with the groove wall of the detent groove when the shift lever is rotated, the shock at the time of the collision is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the buffer member, thereby changing A change operation is performed comfortably and smoothly without generating unpleasant metal sounds as in the prior art.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an auto change device employing an auto change lever structure according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. As shown in these drawings, the auto change device 1 includes a detent member 2 fixed to a vehicle body C in the vicinity of a driver's seat in an automobile, and a change lever 3 erected at the center of the detent member 2. It has a basic configuration.
[0017]
The detent member 2 has a base 21 fixed to the vehicle body C with bolts, and this base 21 is a pair of detents erected in the center (the XX direction shown in FIG. 1). A plate 22 is provided. The detent plate 22 is formed in an arc shape when viewed from the side, and the chord portion of the arc is integrally fixed to the base 21, and a groove forming portion 25 is formed in the upper arc portion. A plurality of detent grooves 26 are recessed.
[0018]
Between these detent plates 22, a reinforcing portion 23 extending vertically upward from the base 21 at the end in the front-rear direction (YY direction shown in FIG. 1) is integrally provided. The part 23 makes the detent plate 22 structurally strong. A change lever rotating chamber 2 a is formed in a space surrounded by the pair of reinforcing portions 23 and the pair of detent plates 22.
[0019]
Also, bearing portions 24 bulging upward are provided at both sides in the width direction in the front-rear direction center portion of the base 21, and support holes 24 a penetrating in the width direction are formed in the bearing portions 24. In addition, the base 21 between the pair of detent plates 22 is provided with a square hole 21a penetrating in the vertical direction and extending in the front-rear direction, whereby the support shaft 4 that pivotally supports the change lever 3 is provided as a pair of left and right support holes. The central part of the change lever rotating chamber 2a is exposed in the state of being inserted into 24a.
[0020]
The change lever 3 includes a cylindrical lever rod 31 whose base end is pivotally supported by the support shaft 4 and a shift pin mechanism 34 built in the lever rod 31. A shaft support cylinder 32 extending in the width direction is fixed to the base end side of the lever rod 31, and the support shaft 4 is inserted into the shaft support cylinder 32 so that the base end side of the lever rod 31 has a change lever rotation. It is rotatable around the support shaft 4 in a state where it is mounted on the moving chamber 2a.
[0021]
The shaft support cylinder 32 is provided with an operation rod 33 extending in the direction opposite to the direction in which the lever rod 31 extends. The lower end portion of the operation rod 33 is connected to the transmission via a wire (not shown). The amount of rotation about the support shaft 4 is transmitted to the transmission, so that the shift is switched.
[0022]
The shift pin mechanism 34 includes a pull rod 35 fitted in the lever rod 31 so as to be movable up and down, a shift pin 36 penetrating a cylindrical body 36a at the lower end portion of the pull rod 35 and projecting in the width direction on both sides, An operating piece 37 connected to the upper end of the pull rod 35 and a coil spring 38 coupled to the lower part of the cylindrical body 36a in the lever rod 31 and biasing the pull rod 35 downward are formed. The roller 5 is fitted on the shift pin 36, and the shift pin 36 is fitted into the detent groove 26 via the roller 5. The shift pin 36 is configured so that the position of the shift pin 36 can be changed between a shift position where the roller 5 is fitted in the detent groove 26 and a shift release position where the roller 5 comes out of the detent groove 26.
[0023]
On the other hand, the lever rod 31 is provided with a pair of widthwise long holes 31a extending in the vertical direction corresponding to the shift pin 36, and both side portions of the shift pin 36 are fitted into the long hole 31a. The movable range that can move up and down is set. The lower end of the coil spring 38 is coupled to a locking pin 31b penetrating the lever rod 31, so that the pull rod 35 is always urged downward.
[0024]
The operation piece 37 is formed of a member having a rectangular shape in a side view, and an upper part of the operation piece 37 is pivotally supported around a support pin 31c penetrating the lever rod 31 in the width direction. An operation piece exposure hole 31d opened toward the front (left side in FIG. 2) is provided in the upper part, and the front portion of the operation piece 37 is exposed from the operation piece exposure hole 31d. Further, the upper end of the pull rod 35 is connected to the operation piece 37 via the connection pin 35a so as to be relatively rotatable with respect to each other at the front portion of the support pin 31c.
[0025]
Accordingly, the operating piece 37 is normally biased counterclockwise in FIG. 2 around the support pin 31c by the biasing force of the coil spring 38, and the driver holds the lever rod 31 and moves the fist upward. By shifting, the operation piece 37 is pushed upward by the index finger, whereby the operation piece 37 rotates clockwise around the support pin 31c against the biasing force of the coil spring 38, and the shift pin 36 rises. ing.
[0026]
The pair of detent plates 22 includes a groove forming portion 25 in which a plurality of detent grooves are provided between the pair of reinforcing portions 23. The groove forming portion 25 has a plurality of detent grooves 26 that are recessed from the circular locus centering on the axis of the support shaft 4 toward the center, and thereby are aligned on the circular locus. The lever pin 31 is positioned at a predetermined shift position by fitting the shift pin 36 into the detent groove 26.
[0027]
In the present embodiment, the detent groove 26 has six types of detents including a parking range groove P, a rear range groove R, a neutral range groove N, a drive range groove D, a high speed drive range groove S, and a low speed drive range groove L. Grooves 26 are sequentially provided in the portion of the detent plate 22 corresponding to the change lever rotation chamber 2a from the front to the rear.
[0028]
In the present embodiment, the circular trajectory has three types of radii, the maximum radius R1, the intermediate radius R2, and the minimum radius R3. The circular locus having the maximum radius R1 is applied to both sides of the detent plate 22 in the front-rear direction. The parking range groove P is applied from the portion where the front maximum radius R1 is applied, and the portion where the maximum radius R1 is applied behind. Drive range grooves L are respectively recessed. Further, in the rear side adjacent to the parking range groove P, the rear range groove R is recessed from the portion where the intermediate radius R2 is applied, and there is a minimum gap between the rear range groove R and the low speed drive range groove L. The neutral range groove N, the drive range groove D, and the high speed drive range groove S are sequentially recessed from the portion to which the radius R3 is applied.
[0029]
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view in a side view of the detent plate 22 for explaining the configuration of the detent groove 26. As shown in this figure, among the detent groove 26, the parking range groove P, the rear range groove R, and the low speed drive range groove L are extended at the shift groove portion 26a provided at the bottom portion and above the shift groove portion 26a. The detent groove portion 26b is formed. The shift groove portion 26a has opposed groove walls extending in the radial direction from the axis of the support shaft 4, and the groove width dimension is set so that the roller 5 fits between the groove walls in a sliding contact state. . This ensures that the shift position of the roller 5 fitted in the parking range groove P, the rear range groove R, and the low speed drive range groove L is ensured.
[0030]
Further, the detent groove portion 26b is formed so as to be widened toward the front end side, so that the shift from one detent groove 26 to another detent groove 26 can be smoothly performed. Then, the fitting operation of the shift pin 36 with respect to the parking range groove P, the rear range groove R, and the low speed drive range groove L is performed by operating the operation piece 37.
[0031]
Further, the left groove wall of the neutral range groove N and the right groove wall of the high-speed drive range groove S are also set so as to extend in the radial direction from the axis of the support shaft 4. When shifting to the rear range groove R and when shifting from the high speed drive range groove S to the low speed drive range groove L, the operation piece 37 (FIG. 2) is required to be operated.
[0032]
On the other hand, between the neutral range groove N and the drive range groove D and between the drive range groove D and the high speed drive range groove S, a groove wall extending in the radial direction from the axis of the support shaft 4 is formed. It has a gently corrugated groove. Therefore, between the neutral range groove N and the high-speed drive range groove S, a shift change is made by rotating the lever rod 31 (FIG. 2) around the support shaft 4 without operating the operation piece 37. Can be done.
[0033]
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the shift pin 36. As shown in this figure, the shift pin 36 includes a cylindrical pin main body 361 and a head 362 having a larger diameter than the pin main body 361 provided at one end of the pin main body 361. Then, with the shift pin 36 penetrating the columnar body 36a, a cylindrical roller 5 made of an elastic material is fitted on the pin main body 361 between the columnar body 36a and the head 362 in a sliding contact state. The shift pin 36 is press-fitted into the cylindrical body 36a so that it cannot be easily removed. When the roller 5 is fitted into the detent groove 26, the change lever 3 is maintained in a predetermined shift position.
[0034]
In the present embodiment, the roller 5 is made of a soft and tough synthetic resin or synthetic rubber, so that even if the roller 5 collides with the groove wall of the detent groove 26 when the change lever 3 is operated, the impact is absorbed. Thus, no unpleasant collision sound is generated, and the operability of the change lever 3 is good.
[0035]
In the present embodiment, the roller 5 is externally fitted only to the head 362 side of the pin main body 361 so that the roller 5 is fitted into the detent groove 26 of one of the detent plates 22. Therefore, normally, the tip side of the shift pin 36 is not in contact with the groove wall of the detent groove 26 of the other detent plate 22, but when a large force is applied to the shift pin 36 during operation of the change lever 3, the detent Due to the elastic deformation of the roller 5 that is in contact with the groove wall of the groove 26, the contact portion becomes thinner, so that the tip side of the shift pin 36 contacts the groove wall of the other detent groove 26.
[0036]
The operation of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory views for explaining the operation of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a state in which the shift pin 36 is in the shift release position that has come out of the neutral range groove N, and FIG. Each of the states fitted in L is shown.
[0037]
First, as shown in FIG. 2, in a state where the shift pin 36 is fitted in the neutral range groove N, the cylindrical body 36 a is urged downward by the urging force of the coil spring 38, so that the shift pin 36 is externally fitted to the shift pin 36. The roller 5 is pressed against the groove bottom of the neutral range groove N, so that the shift setting of the change lever 3 with respect to the neutral range is stable.
[0038]
Then, when the change lever 3 is rotated clockwise around the support shaft 4 in the state shown in FIG. 5A, the roller 5 moves backward over the mountain between the grooves, and then the high-speed drive range groove S. It will be in the state where it hits against the groove wall behind. When the operation piece 37 is operated upward in this state, the operation piece 37 is rotated clockwise around the support pin 31c, whereby the pull rod 35 is raised, and the shift pin 36 is raised by this rise, and the roller 5 is moved at high speed. The change lever 3 comes out of the drive range groove S and can be rotated around the support shaft 4. In this state, after further rotating the lever rod 31 around the support shaft 4 in the clockwise direction, the operation piece 37 that has been pushed up is returned to the original position, so that the roller 5 is driven at a low speed as shown in FIG. The change lever 3 is fitted into the range groove L, and the shift lever 3 is shifted to the low speed drive range.
[0039]
As for the shift change between the neutral range groove N and the high speed drive range groove S, the roller 5 gets over the peak of the corrugated detent groove 26 by simply rotating the change lever 3 around the support shaft 4. In particular, the operation piece 37 need not be operated.
[0040]
In the present invention, as described in detail above, the detent groove 26 provided in the detent plate 22 is formed in a wave shape, and the shift pin 36 is fitted into the detent groove 26 via the roller 5 made of an elastic member. Therefore, by rotating the change lever 3 around the support shaft 4 without operating the operation piece 37 one by one, between the neutral range groove N and the high speed drive range groove S operated during normal driving operation, The shift can be changed by moving the roller 5 from one detent groove 26 to another detent groove 26 over the mountain while rotating around the shift pin 36.
[0041]
Moreover, since a moderate feeling of moderation can be obtained by the movement of the roller 5 against the urging force of the coil spring 38 at the time of shift change, a member for giving a feeling of moderation separately from the detent groove 26 as in the prior art. There is no need to provide it, and the effect of reducing the number of parts and the assembly cost is great.
[0042]
【The invention's effect】
According to the auto change lever structure for an automobile according to claim 1 of the present invention, the shift lever is set to the shift position where it is fitted in the detent groove, so that the change lever is in a predetermined shift state, and the shift pin is detented. Since the shift lever is configured to shift to another shift state by setting it to the shift release position that has slipped out of the groove, the detent groove is in a state of sharing the function of the conventional shift groove. Therefore, the structure is simple as compared with the conventional structure in which a shift groove is provided in addition to the detent groove, and the part cost and assembly cost can be reduced accordingly. In addition, when the shift groove is provided, it is freed from the complexity that dimensional management must be strictly performed at the time of manufacturing in order to properly set the positional relationship between the detent groove and the shift groove, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost accordingly. It becomes possible.
[0043]
Further , the detent groove has a shift groove portion formed of a pair of side walls that extend in the radial direction from the rotation center of the change lever at the bottom and is opposed to each other, and a detent groove portion that is widened toward the front end side of the shift groove portion. Therefore, the shift groove portion of the detent groove can serve as a shift setting function, and the detent groove portion can serve as a moderation imparting function when operating the change lever.
[0044]
According to the auto change lever structure for an automobile according to claim 2 of the present invention, the detent plates are provided in a pair so as to sandwich the lever rod, and the shift pins correspond to the detent grooves formed in each detent plate. Since the pair is provided, the change lever structure can be structurally strong.
[0045]
According to the auto change lever structure for an automobile according to claim 3 of the present invention, since the cylindrical shock-absorbing member is fitted on at least one of the pair of shift pins, the shock-absorbing member is buffered when the shift lever is rotated. Even if the roller collides with the groove wall of the detent groove, the shock at the time of collision is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the buffer member, so that the unpleasant metal sound as before is not generated during change operation, and it is comfortable and smooth Change operation can be performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an auto change device employing an auto change lever structure according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view in a side view of a detent plate for explaining a configuration of a detent groove.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a shift pin.
FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory views for explaining the operation of the present invention, in which FIG. 5A shows a state in which the shift pin is pulled out from the neutral range groove, and FIG. 5B shows a state in which the shift pin is fitted in the low speed drive range groove. Show.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Auto change apparatus 2 Detent member 2a Change lever rotation chamber 21 Base 21a Square hole 22 Detent plate 23 Reinforcement part 24 Bearing part 24a Support hole 25 Groove formation part 26 Detent groove 26a Shift groove part 26b Detent groove part 3 Change lever 31 Lever rod 31a Long hole 31b Locking pin 31c Support pin 31d Operation piece exposure hole 32 Shaft support tube 33 Operation rod 34 Shift pin mechanism 35 Pull rod 36 Shift pin 36a Column body 361 Pin body 362 Head portion 36a Column body 37 Operation piece 38 Coil spring 4 Support shaft 5 Roller P Parking range groove R Rear range groove N Neutral range groove D Drive range groove S High speed drive range groove L Low speed drive range groove

Claims (3)

In an auto change lever structure for an automobile comprising a detent member fixed to a vehicle body and a change lever attached to the detent member, the detent member includes a base fixed to the vehicle body and an upright stand on the base A detent plate, a support shaft provided on the base end side of the detent plate, and a groove forming portion formed on the distal end side of the detent plate, and the groove forming portion is a shaft of the support shaft. The change lever includes a cylindrical lever rod having a plurality of detent grooves arranged on a circular locus centered on the center, and a base end side rotatably supported by the support shaft. A shift pin provided corresponding to the circular locus, and a shift position where the shift pin is fitted in the detent groove, and a shift release position where the shift pin is pulled out from the detent groove. In a position capable of changing, the detent groove extends from the center of rotation of the change lever in the radial direction at the bottom, and a shift groove comprising a pair of side walls facing each other, extending in the distal end side of the shift groove An auto-change lever structure for an automobile, characterized in that the auto-change lever structure is provided with a widened detent groove portion . The detent plate is provided in a pair so as to sandwich the lever rod, and the shift pin is provided in a pair so as to correspond to a detent groove formed in each detent plate . Auto change lever structure for automobiles. The auto change lever structure for an automobile according to claim 2 , wherein a cylindrical buffer member is fitted on at least one of the pair of shift pins .

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