JP4834451B2 - Inhibitor switch and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inhibitor switch that is disposed in a transmission case of an automatic transmission of a vehicle and detects a shift position of a select lever, and a manufacturing method thereof.

  In order to detect the shift position of the select lever, an automatic switch in an automobile is usually provided with an inhibitor switch in its mission case. Such an inhibitor switch includes a terminal block fixed in the transmission case of the automatic transmission, a contact plate formed on the terminal block, an operation unit that operates along the contact plate in conjunction with the select lever of the vehicle, And a movable contact formed on the operation portion and capable of sliding on the contact plate to form a predetermined electric circuit corresponding to the contact position.

  Thus, the inhibitor switch operates in oil filled in the mission case, and detects the shift position of the select lever from the electrical circuit formed according to the contact position of the movable contact with the contact plate. Based on this detection, the power transmission path of the automatic transmission can be controlled in correspondence with the shift position of the select lever (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the inhibitor switch, a guide rail that guides and slides the movable contact is formed integrally with the terminal block, and the movable contact moves along with the select lever as the operation unit operates. It is comprised so that it may slide along. That is, the oil filled in the mission case reaches the sliding surface of the movable contact between the adjacent guide rails, so there is no need for additional oil to improve smoothness or reduce wear during sliding. It is said that.

In such an inhibitor switch, a plurality of rows of contact plates extending in parallel are formed on the terminal block, but conventionally, in order to prevent the plurality of rows of contact plates from separating apart in the manufacturing process, A dividing portion that connects adjacent rows is formed. Then, while the contact plate integrated by the dividing portion is disposed at a predetermined position of the terminal block, the dividing portion is made to face the dividing hole formed in the terminal block, and then a punch or the like is inserted into the dividing hole To sever the severing part and cut off the electrical continuity. As a result, it is possible to avoid separation for each column in the manufacturing process, and to achieve desired electrical conduction for each column after division.
JP 2002-175743 A

  However, the above-described conventional inhibitor switch has a problem as described below because the part to be divided of each part is exposed to the outside through the inside of the parting hole. That is, in the oil in the mission case, conductive foreign matters such as fine metal powder often float, and it is not intended that such conductive foreign matters adhere across the dividing portion of the contact plate through the dividing hole. There is a problem that electrical conduction may be caused and an electrical failure such as a short circuit may occur.

  In particular, when the inhibitor switch is fixed in the mission case, the guide rail that slides while guiding the movable contact extends in a substantially horizontal direction (that is, the operation unit operates in a substantially horizontal direction) In the oil between the upper and lower adjacent guide rails, the conductive foreign matter tends to accumulate on the lower guide rail side due to the specific gravity. When such conductive foreign matter enters a dividing hole formed between guide rails adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, there is a high possibility that unintentional conduction as described above is performed.

  In addition, by conducting secondary molding on the terminal block and filling the divided molding resin into the dividing hole to electrically shield the dividing portion of the dividing portion, conductive foreign matter adheres to the dividing portion. Although it is conceivable to avoid the occurrence of an electrical failure, in that case, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost increases by the amount corresponding to the secondary molding process.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and even if the guide rail that slides while guiding the movable contact extends in a substantially horizontal direction while suppressing the manufacturing cost, it is caused by the conductive foreign matter in the oil. An object of the present invention is to provide an inhibitor switch capable of avoiding unintended conduction and a method for manufacturing the same.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a terminal block fixed in a transmission case of an automatic transmission of a vehicle, a contact plate formed on the terminal block, and an operation along the contact plate in conjunction with a select lever of the vehicle. An operation portion that is formed on the contact plate, and is formed on the contact plate so as to slide on the contact plate to form a predetermined electric circuit corresponding to the contact position. To be inserted at a position corresponding to the dividing portion of the terminal block and to be cut off after being arranged at a predetermined position, and to cut off the conduction, and to insert the cutting means to divide the dividing portion And a guide rail that extends in a substantially horizontal direction on the surface of the terminal block and that guides the sliding of the movable contact accompanying the operation of the operation portion. Inhibitor switch for detecting the shift position of In the divided hole formed between the guide rails vertically adjacent, are open at the upper the guide rail side Rutotomoni, the upper opening edge, the lower side wall surface of the upper guide rail and substantially It is characterized by being flush .

According to a second aspect of the invention, the inhibitor switch according to claim 1 Symbol placement, the operating portion is guided portion that may be fitted between the guide rails vertically adjacent and wherein the integrally molded .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal block fixed in a transmission case of an automatic transmission of a vehicle, a contact plate formed on the terminal block, and operated along the contact plate in conjunction with a select lever of the vehicle. An operation portion that is formed on the contact plate, and is formed on the contact plate so as to slide on the contact plate to form a predetermined electric circuit corresponding to the contact position. To be inserted at a position corresponding to the dividing portion of the terminal block and to be cut off after being arranged at a predetermined position, and to cut off the conduction, and to insert the cutting means to divide the dividing portion And a guide rail that extends in a substantially horizontal direction on the surface of the terminal block and guides the sliding of the movable contact that accompanies the operation of the operation portion. After disposing at a predetermined position, the dividing part formed on the contact plate is divided. In the manufacturing method of an inhibitor switch to obtain a predetermined circuit by blocking conduction Te, between the guide rails vertically adjacent, together with the divided at upper the guide rail side is performed to form the cutting hole The dividing hole is characterized in that the upper opening edge thereof is substantially flush with the lower side wall surface of the upper guide rail .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the manufacturing method of the inhibitor switch according to the third aspect, a guided portion that can be fitted between the guide rails adjacent to each other in the upper and lower directions is integrally formed in the operation portion. .

According to the first and third aspects of the present invention, between the upper and lower adjacent guide rails, the dividing hole is opened on the upper guide rail side, and the conductive foreign matter that easily collects on the lower guide rail side Since it is difficult to enter the dividing hole, unintentional conduction due to conductive foreign matter in the oil is avoided even when the guide rail that slides while guiding the movable contact extends substantially horizontally while suppressing the manufacturing cost. Can do.

Furthermore , since the upper opening edge of the dividing hole is substantially flush with the lower side wall surface of the upper guide rail, the conductive foreign matter accumulated on the upper guide rail drops and forms on the lower side. It can suppress entering into the said parting hole made. Therefore, unintentional conduction due to the conductive foreign matter in the oil can be avoided more reliably.

According to the second and fourth aspects of the present invention, the guided portion that can be fitted between the guide rails adjacent to each other in the upper and lower directions is integrally formed in the operating portion. The part slides between the guide rails, and the conductive foreign matter accumulated between the guide rails can be wiped off.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
The inhibitor switch according to the present embodiment is disposed in a transmission case of an automatic transmission of an automobile and is for detecting a shift position of a select lever. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a resin molded product is used. Are mainly composed of a terminal block 2, a metal contact plate 3, 4; an operation portion 5 on which a movable contact 5b is formed; and a metal case 6.

  The terminal block 2 is integrally formed with a guide rail 2c extending in the longitudinal direction (substantially horizontal direction in a state where the inhibitor switch 1 is installed in the transmission case) on the surface side (the upper surface side in FIGS. 1 and 2). A plurality of groove portions 2a extending in the same direction are formed between the guide rails 2c adjacent in the vertical direction. That is, the guide rail 2c extends in a substantially horizontal direction on the convex surface on the surface of the terminal block 2, and as shown in FIG. 5, the lower wall surface 2ca of the upper guide rail 2c and the upper wall surface 2cb of the lower guide rail 2c The groove 2a is formed with the upper and lower walls as the upper and lower walls.

  In addition, the upper and lower contact plates 3 and 4 are attached to the terminal block 2, and a part of the upper contact plate 3 faces the outside in the groove 2 a of the terminal block 2. The movable contact 5b guided by the guide rail 2c can be slid. Each of the contact plates 3 and 4 is formed by, for example, extracting and bending a conductive metal plate with a press or the like into a predetermined shape.

  Further, the upper and lower contact plates 3 and 4 have terminal portions 3 a and 4 a formed at their end portions, respectively, and these terminal portions 3 a and 4 a are connector portions 2 b formed at predetermined portions of the terminal block 2. It is set to be located at. Thus, if a connector (not shown) formed on an external device or the like (for example, a controller or the like disposed in the mission case) is connected to the terminal portions 3a and 4a of the connector portion 2b, the detection signal of the inhibitor switch 1 is sent. It can be sent to external devices.

  The case 6 is attached so as to cover the surface side of the terminal block 2, and the flange portion 6 b is integrally formed. By inserting a bolt (not shown) into the bolt hole 6 ba formed in the flange portion 6 b, The case 6 and the terminal block 2 are configured to be fixed at predetermined positions in a mission case (not shown). At this time, in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, when the upper part of the inhibitor switch 1 is a and the lower part is b, the guide rail 2c and the groove 2a extend in a substantially horizontal direction. Further, the case 6 is formed with a linear long hole 6a in the longitudinal direction thereof, and the lever portion 5a of the operation portion 5 is inserted into the long hole 6a.

  On the other hand, the operation unit 5 can operate along the contact plate 5b while being guided by the guide rail 2c in conjunction with the select lever of the automobile. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. An interlocking lever portion 5a, a movable contact 5b that can slide on the contact plate 3, and a guided portion 5c are formed. That is, the operation portion 5 is accommodated between the case 6 and the terminal block 2 and the operation of the select lever is transmitted via the protruding lever portion 5a, and the contact plate 3 is slid on the contact plate 3 according to the operation. It is possible to move.

  The movable contact 5b is formed in plural (specifically, five) corresponding to the groove 2a formed in the terminal block 2, and when the operation unit 5 is operated, each movable contact 5b is connected between the guide rails 2c. In the groove portion 2a, and slides on the contact plate 3 in the process. That is, when the operation unit 5 slides on the contact plate 3, the movable contact 5b and the contact plate 3 come into contact with each other to be electrically connected, and a predetermined electrical circuit is formed according to the contact position. It is configured to be.

  Therefore, the shift position of the select lever can be detected from a predetermined electrical circuit, and the power transmission path of the automatic transmission can be controlled in accordance with the shift position of the select lever based on the detection. Yes. The contact plates 3 and 4 are electrically connected at predetermined locations, and an electrical predetermined circuit is formed including these two contact plates 3 and 4.

  On the other hand, the guided portion 5c is integrally formed in the front and rear with respect to the sliding direction of the operation portion 5, and is configured to be fitted between the guide rails 2c adjacent to each other as shown in FIG. Has been. As a result, the guided portion 5c slides between the guide rails 2c in accordance with the operation of the operation portion 5, and the conductive foreign matter accumulated between the guide rails 2c can be wiped off.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 4, the contact plates 3, 4 are formed with dividing portions 8, 9 that are arranged at predetermined positions of the terminal block 2 and then divided to cut off conduction. The dividing portions 8 and 9 are for connecting adjacent rows or portions so that the contact plates 3 or 4 consisting of a plurality of rows or portions are not separated in the manufacturing process. In 1, it is a site | part resected so that conduction | electrical_connection may be interrupted | blocked.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a dividing hole 10 into which a cutting means 7 such as a punch (see FIG. 9) can be inserted is formed at a position corresponding to the dividing portions 8 and 9 in the terminal block 2. The dividing hole 10 is formed so as to penetrate through the front and back of the terminal block 2, and as shown in FIG. 9A, the dividing parts 8 and 9 are positioned over the opening of the dividing hole 10. At the same time, when the cutting means 7 such as a punch corresponding to the opening is fitted into the dividing hole 10, the dividing portions 8 and 9 can be divided as shown in FIG. In addition, even after the dividing parts 8 and 9 are divided, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the dividing part is exposed to the outside through the dividing hole 10.

Here, in the present embodiment, the predetermined dividing hole 10 is opened on the upper guide rail 2c side between the guide rails 2c adjacent in the vertical direction (that is, in the groove 2a ). That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower opening edge 10b of the dividing hole 10 is formed at a position spaced from the upper wall surface 2ca of the lower guide rail 2c. As a result, it is possible to make it difficult for the conductive foreign matter that tends to accumulate on the lower guide rail 2c side to enter the dividing hole 10, and even if the guide rail 2c extends substantially in the horizontal direction, Not conducting can be avoided. Further, since oil or the like is difficult to enter into the dividing hole 10, there is no need to block the dividing hole 10 with a separate means, for example, secondary molding for filling the dividing hole 10 with resin or the like. A separate process can be dispensed with and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper opening edge 10a of the predetermined dividing hole 10 is substantially flush with the lower side wall surface 2ca of the upper guide rail 2c. As a result, it is possible to prevent the conductive foreign matter accumulated on the upper guide rail 2c from dripping and entering the dividing hole 10 formed on the lower side thereof. Unintentional conduction can be avoided more reliably.

  According to the inhibitor switch 1, when the driver operates the select lever, the lever portion 5a is operated in conjunction with the operation, and the operation portion 5 slides on the contact plate 3 in a substantially horizontal straight line. A predetermined electrical circuit corresponding to the contact position is formed. At this time, since the dividing hole 10 is opened between the upper and lower adjacent guide rails 2c on the upper guide rail 2c side, it is difficult for the conductive foreign matter to enter the dividing hole 10, and the dividing portions 8 and 9 Since the interruption of conduction is reliably maintained, an electrical failure such as a short circuit can be reliably prevented, and the reliability of the inhibitor switch 1 can be improved.

Next, a method for manufacturing the inhibitor switch 1 will be described.
First, the contact plates 3 and 4 respectively connected by the dividing portions 8 and 9 are positioned and fixed at predetermined positions in a mold for forming the terminal block 2. Then, a resin is poured into the mold, and the contact plates 3 and 4 are insert-molded to form the terminal block 2 on which the guide rail 2c is formed. At this time, by forming the dividing hole 10 at a position corresponding to each dividing part 8, 9, the dividing part 8, 9 is exposed to the outside through the dividing hole 10.

  The dividing hole 10 is set to open on the upper guide rail 2c side between the guide rails 2c adjacent in the vertical direction with the inhibitor switch 1 installed in the mission case. After the contact plates 3 and 4 are fixed to the terminal block 2 as described above, the cutting portions 8 and 9 are simultaneously cut at a plurality of locations by fitting the cutting means 7 such as punches into the cutting holes 10. Thus, since the terminal block 2 in which the contact plates 3 and 4 are insert-molded is obtained, the inhibitor switch 1 having the dividing hole 10 as shown in FIG. It becomes.

  Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, all the dividing holes 10 formed between the guide rails 2c are configured to be opened on the upper guide rail 2c side. Alternatively, it is also possible to arbitrarily select the dividing holes 10 located below (b direction side) in a state where the inhibitor switch 1 is installed, and to open only them on the upper guide rail 2c side.

Also, in this embodiment, the contact plate having a divided portion is disposed in two upper and lower stages, or may be in a in the above well, or three stages also that of one stage.

The terminal block has guide rails extending in a substantially horizontal direction, and a dividing hole formed between the upper and lower adjacent guide rails is opened on the upper guide rail side, and the upper opening edge thereof is the upper guide rail. If the inhibitor switch is substantially flush with the lower side wall surface of the rail and the manufacturing method thereof, the present invention can be applied to a switch having a different external shape or a function added thereto.

The whole perspective view showing the appearance of the inhibitor switch concerning the embodiment of the present invention An exploded perspective view for showing the internal configuration of the inhibitor switch The perspective view which shows the operation part in the inhibitor switch The perspective view which shows the contact plate arrange | positioned in the upper and lower stages in the inhibitor switch Top view showing the front side of the terminal block of the inhibitor switch Sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. The top view which shows the surface side (state in which the operation part and the case were attached) of the inhibitor switch VIII-VIII line sectional view in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the parting method of the parting part by the parting hole of the inhibitor switch, Comprising: (a) The schematic diagram which shows before parting of the parting part (b) The schematic diagram which shows after parting of the parting part

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inhibitor switch 2 Terminal block 2c Guide rail 2ca Lower wall surface 2cb Upper wall surface 3 Contact plate 4 Contact plate 5 Operation part 5b Movable contact 6 Case 7 Cutting means 8 Dividing part 9 Dividing part 10 Dividing hole 10a Upper opening edge part 11b Lower side Open edge

Claims (4)

A terminal block fixed in the transmission case of the automatic transmission of the vehicle;
A contact plate formed on the terminal block;
An operation unit that operates along the contact plate in conjunction with the select lever of the vehicle;
A movable contact that is formed on the operation unit and that can slide on the contact plate to form a predetermined electrical circuit corresponding to the contact position;
A dividing portion that is formed on the contact plate and disposed at a predetermined position of the terminal block, and then is divided to cut off conduction.
A dividing hole formed in a position corresponding to the dividing portion in the terminal block, and a cutting hole for inserting a cutting means to divide the dividing portion;
A guide rail that extends in a substantially horizontal direction on the surface of the terminal block and guides the sliding of the movable contact accompanying the operation of the operation unit;
In an inhibitor switch for detecting a shift position of the select lever from the electrical circuit,
The cutting hole formed between the guide rails vertically adjacent, are open at the upper the guide rail side Rutotomoni, the upper opening edge, the lower side wall surface of the upper guide rail substantially flush inhibitor switch according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a. Wherein the operating unit, inhibitor switch according to claim 1 Symbol placement guided portion that may be fitted between the guide rail and wherein the integrally formed vertically adjacent. A terminal block fixed in the transmission case of the automatic transmission of the vehicle;
A contact plate formed on the terminal block;
An operation unit that operates along the contact plate in conjunction with the select lever of the vehicle;
A movable contact that is formed on the operation unit and that can slide on the contact plate to form a predetermined electrical circuit corresponding to the contact position;
A dividing portion that is formed on the contact plate and disposed at a predetermined position of the terminal block, and then is divided to cut off conduction.
A dividing hole formed in a position corresponding to the dividing portion in the terminal block, and a cutting hole for inserting a cutting means to divide the dividing portion;
A guide rail that extends in a substantially horizontal direction on the surface of the terminal block and guides the sliding of the movable contact accompanying the operation of the operation unit;
In the manufacturing method of an inhibitor switch, wherein the contact plate is disposed at a predetermined position of the terminal block, and then the dividing portion formed on the contact plate is divided to cut off conduction to obtain a predetermined circuit. ,
Between the guide rails adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, the dividing is performed on the upper guide rail side to form the dividing hole. The dividing hole has an upper opening edge portion of the upper guide rail. A manufacturing method of an inhibitor switch characterized by being substantially flush with a lower wall surface . 4. The inhibitor switch manufacturing method according to claim 3 , wherein a guided portion that can be fitted between the guide rails adjacent to each other in the vertical direction is formed integrally with the operation portion.

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