JP6094472B2 - Vehicle shifter device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle shifter device for switching a range of a transmission mounted on a vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a so-called electric shifter device that shifts by electrically detecting the position of a shift lever is known as a vehicle shifter device. The elevator device is often used in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle that does not have a mechanical transmission. However, an elevator device that does not require mechanical connection between the shift lever and the transmission is being widely used in many types of automobiles because of its high degree of design freedom.

  In an elevator device, a mechanism called a momentary type is often used from the viewpoint of downsizing and improving operability. In the momentary-type exciter device, the range is changed when the shift lever is displaced from the predetermined home position in the predetermined direction. After that, when the hand is released from the shift lever, the shift lever is automatically maintained while the changed range is maintained. It is configured to return to the home position.

  One example of such a momentary type electric lifter device is disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. In these electric lifter devices, when the shift lever is moved from the home position in the neutral range selection direction, the neutral range is selected, and then the shift lever is selected from the position (neutral position) as the starting point and the travel range is selected perpendicular to the neutral range selection direction. When the displacement operation is performed in the direction, the travel range (drive range or reverse range) is selected.

Japanese Patent No. 4373212 (FIGS. 1 to 31) JP 2013-154700 A (FIGS. 3 and 10)

  When the travel range is selected in the electric lifter devices of Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is necessary to first displace the shift lever in the neutral range selection direction and then further displace the shift lever in the travel range selection direction. That is, the operation stroke required for selecting the travel range is a long L-shape. This is a factor that makes it annoying for a driver who wants to select a driving range quickly and easily. In addition, there is a problem that the mechanism of the elevator device is complicated and the compactness of the elevator device is hindered.

  Therefore, when the shift lever is displaced from the home position to the neutral position in the neutral range selection direction, the neutral range is selected. After that, when the shift lever is pressed in the travel range selection direction instead of the displacement operation at the neutral position, the travel range is selected. It is proposed to be configured as such. According to this configuration, since the operation stroke required for selecting the travel range is a short I-shape, it is possible to eliminate the above-described problems.

  However, since the shift lever operation in the travel range selection direction is not a displacement operation but a pressing operation, the following problems are likely to occur. That is, if a shift lever in the home position hits a driver, an occupant's arm or a saddle, and accidentally applies a force in the neutral range selection direction to the shift lever (this is referred to as “oblique hit” for convenience). The shift lever moves to near the neutral position, and the shift lever is pressed in the travel range selection direction. And even though the pressing force generated due to the accidental slanting of this shift lever is mistakenly recognized as being due to the driver's operation, the driving range is erroneously set despite the driver's intention not to select the driving range. It will be selected.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle shifter device that requires a short operation stroke for selecting a travel range and that prevents erroneous travel range selection.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an operation member operated by a driver, and a main body that supports the operation member in a displaceable manner and automatically returns the displaced operation member to a predetermined home position. And a control unit for controlling a range of a transmission mounted on the vehicle based on an operation of the operation member, wherein the main body unit includes the home position and a predetermined position therefrom. The operation member is supported so as to be displaceable only between a neutral position and a neutral position, and a neutral position detecting means for detecting that the operation member is at the neutral position, and from the home position toward the neutral position. to the operating member has moved a predetermined distance or the operating force detecting means for detecting an operation force applied in a direction crossing the predetermined direction is provided Te The control means selects the neutral range when the neutral position detecting means detects that the operating member has been displaced from the home position to the neutral position, and the neutral position detecting means may be in the neutral position. In the detected state, a travel range is selected when the operation force is further detected by the operation force detection means.

According to the present invention, when the operation member is displaced from the home position in a predetermined direction and moved to the neutral position, the neutral range is selected, and then the operation member is pressed in the direction intersecting the predetermined direction at the neutral position. The travel range is selected. As described above, once the operation member is displaced to the neutral position, the travel range can be selected only by pressing the operation member (without the displacement operation). The operation stroke is short, and the travel range can be selected quickly and easily. Further, advantages such as simplification of the mechanism of the shifter device and reduction in size of the shifter device can be obtained.

  At that time, in addition to the operation force detecting means for detecting the operation force (that is, the pressing force) applied to the operation member moved from the home position to the neutral position by a predetermined distance or more, that is, the operation member moved to the vicinity of the neutral position, the operation member Is provided with neutral position detecting means for detecting that the operating member is in the neutral position, and the operation force (pressing force) is further detected by the operating force detecting means in a state where the neutral position detecting means detects that the operating member is in the neutral position. Since the travel range is selected only when is detected, erroneous selection of the travel range is efficiently suppressed for the following reason.

  That is, the operating force detection means alone detects only the pressing force applied to the operating member that has moved to the vicinity of the neutral position, so that the pressing force is due to the driver's intention to select the travel range or the operating member. However, in the present invention, a neutral position detection unit different from the operation force detection unit is provided. The neutral position detecting means separately detects that the operating member is in the neutral position. As a result, it is confirmed that the operating member is surely in the neutral position. If the pressing force is not detected, the travel range is not selected. In this way, by adding the detection by the neutral position detecting means to the condition for selecting the driving range, there is a problem that the pressing force generated due to the accidental diagonal contact of the operation member is erroneously recognized as being caused by the driver's operation. Avoided as much as possible. Therefore, erroneous selection of the travel range is efficiently suppressed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle shifter device that requires a short operation stroke for selecting a travel range and that suppresses erroneous selection of the travel range.

  In the present invention, the neutral position detecting means detects that the operating member is in the neutral position by contacting a part of the operating member displaced to the end of the operating member displaceable range to the neutral position side. It is preferable that

  According to this configuration, since the operation member is detected to be in the neutral position when the operation member is displaced to the end on the neutral position side, the driver may have a strong intention to select a travel range. It can be clearly confirmed. On the other hand, since it is difficult for the operating member to move to the end on the neutral position side due to the accidental diagonal hit of the operating member, the pressing force generated due to the accidental diagonal hit is due to the operation of the driver. Incorrectly recognized defects are eliminated with a high probability, and as a result, erroneous selection of the driving range is accurately suppressed.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the detection sensitivity of the operating force detection means is set lower than the detection sensitivity of the neutral position detection means.

  According to this configuration, the pressing operation (travel range selection operation) at the neutral position is less likely to be detected than the displacement operation (neutral range selection operation) of the operation member from the home position to the neutral position. For this reason, the driver must operate the operating member with a larger operating force when selecting a travel range in which the driving force is transmitted to the vehicle. Improves.

  On the other hand, in the present invention, the detection sensitivity of the operating force detection means may be set higher than the detection sensitivity of the neutral position detection means.

  According to this configuration, the pressing operation (travel range selection operation) at the neutral position is more easily detected than the displacement operation (neutral range selection operation) of the operation member from the home position to the neutral position. Therefore, since the driver only needs to operate the operation member with a smaller operating force when selecting the travel range, the driver can select the travel range with a light feeling.

In the present invention, the operating force detecting means detects an operating force applied in the first direction and the second direction intersecting the predetermined direction with respect to the operating member moved by a predetermined distance or more from the home position toward the neutral position. The control means moves forward when the operation force in the first direction is further detected by the operation force detection means in a state where the operation position is detected by the neutral position detection means and the operation member is in the neutral position. A driving range that is a traveling range in the direction, and a reverse range that is a traveling range in the reverse direction is selected when the operating force in the second direction is detected, and the operating force detection means in the second direction Is preferably set lower than the detection sensitivity of the operating force detection means in the first direction.

  According to this configuration, the pressing operation in the second direction at the neutral position (reverse range selection operation) is less likely to be detected than the pressing operation in the first direction of the operating member at the neutral position (drive range selection operation). Become. Therefore, when selecting the reverse range where the driving force in the reverse direction is transmitted to the vehicle, the driver needs to operate the operating member with a larger operating force. Power is increased and safety is improved.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that a guide member for guiding movement of the operation member between the home position and the neutral position is provided, and the neutral position detection means and the operation force detection means are provided in the guide member.

  According to this configuration, the guide member, the neutral position detection means, and the operation force detection means are arranged so as to overlap each other. Compacting is promoted.

  In the present invention, the main body supports the operation member in a tiltable manner, and the operation member has a gripping portion gripped by a driver and a guided portion engaged with the guide member with respect to a tilting fulcrum. The length between the gripping portion and the tilting fulcrum is set to be longer than the length between the engagement portion of the guided portion with the guide member and the tilting fulcrum. Is preferred.

  According to this configuration, because of the lever principle, the operating force applied to the gripping portion is amplified and acts on the engaging portion of the guided portion with the guide member. Therefore, detection of each detection means provided on the guide member is performed. The operation of the operating member by the driver can be accurately detected without increasing the sensitivity.

  As described above, the present invention provides a vehicle shifter device that requires a short operation stroke for selecting a travel range and suppresses erroneous selection of the travel range. The present invention contributes to the improvement and development of the technology of a vehicle shifter device for switching the range of a machine, particularly a momentary type electric shifter device.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the vehicle interior front part of the vehicle to which the vehicle shifter apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention was applied. It is a top view of the said shifter apparatus. It is a perspective view of the shifter device. It is a disassembled perspective view of the said shifter apparatus. It is a partially cutaway perspective view of the shifter device. It is explanatory drawing of the guide mechanism of the shift lever used for the said shifter apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the motion of the said shift lever, (a) shows the state when a shift lever is in a home position, (b) shows the state when a shift lever is tilted to the left, respectively. Yes. It is explanatory drawing of arrangement | positioning of each sensor used for the said shifter apparatus, (a) shows the case where a shift lever is displaced to a neutral position, (b) has each shown the case where a shift lever hits diagonally. It is a graph which shows the order | rank of the sensitivity of each said sensor. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the said shifter apparatus. It is a diagram for demonstrating the shift pattern of the said shifter apparatus, (a) is a shift pattern from a parking range, (b) is a shift pattern from a reverse range, (c) is a shift pattern from a neutral range, (d ) Shows the shift pattern from the drive range. It is the figure which put together the shift pattern shown in FIG. It is a time chart for demonstrating the effect | action of the said shifter apparatus, (a) has shown the state when a travel range is selected, (b) has each shown the state when a travel range is not selected.

(1) Overall Configuration FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle compartment front portion of a vehicle to which a vehicle shifter device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. As shown in the figure, an instrument panel 2 extending in the vehicle width direction is provided at the front part of the passenger compartment. A meter unit 3 is provided on the driver's seat side (left side in FIG. 1) of the instrument panel 2, and a steering handle 4 is provided behind the meter unit 3. A center console 5 is provided from the center in the vehicle width direction of the instrument panel 2 toward the rear of the vehicle, and the shifter device 1 is provided on the center console 5.

  In this embodiment, the vehicle is an engine (not shown) made of an internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine or a diesel engine, and an automatic transmission that is connected to the output shaft of the engine and transmits the rotation of the output shaft to the wheels while decelerating the rotation. 50 (FIG. 10). The automatic transmission 50 includes a planetary gear mechanism (not shown), and automatically selects an appropriate reduction ratio according to the vehicle speed, engine load, etc. from a plurality of reduction ratios realized by the gear mechanism. Type transmission (AT). The range of the automatic transmission 50 includes a neutral range (N range) where the driving force transmission is cut off, a parking range (P range) where the driving force transmission is cut and the output shaft is locked, and a vehicle. There is a drive range (D range: forward travel range) that transmits driving force in the forward direction and a reverse range (R range: reverse travel range) that transmits drive force in the backward direction of the vehicle. The shifter device 1 is operated to select a desired range from a plurality of ranges of the automatic transmission 50 that exist in this way.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing the shifter device 1. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 1, the shifter device 1 includes a main operation unit 7, a parking switch 8, and an indicator 9. In FIG. 2, an arrow F indicates the front of the vehicle, and an arrow L indicates the left side of the vehicle. The same applies to other drawings after FIG.

  The parking switch 8 is a push-type button switch that is operated when the range of the automatic transmission 50 is switched to the parking range. In addition, a dial “P” is provided on the top surface of the parking switch 8, and when the parking range is selected, the letter “P” is highlighted by a light source such as an LED. . That is, the parking switch 8 has not only a function as a switch for switching to the parking range but also a function as an indicator for displaying that the parking range is selected.

  The main operation unit 7 is operated when the range of the automatic transmission 50 is switched to a range other than the parking range (that is, one of neutral, drive, and reverse ranges). As will be described in detail later, the main operation unit 7 in the present embodiment can perform operations such as tilting (ie, displacing) the shift lever 10 in the left-right direction. The range of the automatic transmission 50 is switched to one of the neutral, drive, and reverse ranges due to the difference in operation pattern with respect to the main operation unit 7.

  The indicator 9 displays the currently selected range. In the case of the indicator 9 illustrated in FIG. 2, the letter “N” representing the neutral range and the letter “H” representing the home position, which will be described later, are displayed side by side with a horizontal bar extending in the left-right direction. In front of the letter “N”, a dial “R” representing a reverse range (triangular dial) is provided, and a letter “D” representing a drive range is placed behind the letter “N”. A board (inverted triangular dial) is provided.

  In other words, the display of the indicator 9 is that the left / right direction is the neutral range selection direction, the front / rear direction is the travel range selection direction, and the shift lever 10 at the home position (H) is moved to the left (← ) (Neutral range selection operation) When the neutral range (N) is selected, the shift lever 10 is operated backward (↓) in the travel range selection direction from that state (drive range selection operation). When (D) is selected and operated forward (↑) (reverse range selection operation), the reverse range (R) is selected. When one of the reverse and drive ranges is selected in accordance with the operation of the main operation unit 7, the character (either R or D) corresponding to the selected range is highlighted. ing.

  Furthermore, in addition to the display of the range by the indicator 9 as described above, in the present embodiment, the range is also displayed on the meter unit 3. That is, the meter unit 3 has a display unit made up of a liquid crystal screen or the like at a predetermined location (for example, between the speedometer and the tachometer), and a character (P, R, N, or D) is displayed.

  Next, a specific structure of the main operation unit 7 of the shifter device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in these drawings, the main operation unit 7 includes a shift lever 10 and a main body 20 that supports the shift lever 10 so as to be tiltable (displaceable) in the left-right direction.

  The shift lever 10 corresponds to an “operation member” in the claims, and includes a shift knob (gripping portion) 11 gripped by a driver, a rod-shaped lever portion 12 extending downward from the shift knob 11, and the lever portion 12. It has a sphere part 13 provided at the lower end, a detent leg part 14 and a guide leg part (guided part) 15 projecting obliquely downward from the sphere part 13.

  The detent leg 14 has a hollow leg main body 14b that extends obliquely downward from the lower surface of the sphere 13 and a biasing portion 14a that protrudes further downward from the tip of the leg main body 14b. The urging portion 14a is pressed downward by a compression spring (not shown) provided inside the leg body 14b. Such an urging portion 14a is supported by the leg main body 14b so as to be able to advance and retreat, such that the urging portion 14a rises by receiving an upward force that pushes back the compression spring and descends when the force decreases.

  The guide leg portion 15 is a rod-like member extending obliquely downward from the lower surface of the spherical body portion 13. In this embodiment, the detent leg 14 is inclined to the left side, while the guide leg 15 is inclined to the right side.

  The main body 20 includes a box-shaped housing 21 whose upper surface is open, and a cover portion 22 that is attached so as to cover the opening on the upper surface of the housing 21.

  The cover portion 22 is formed with a rectangular insertion hole 22a that is long to the left and right through which the lever portion 12 of the shift lever 10 is inserted.

  Inside the housing 21, a lever support portion 23 that wraps and supports the spherical body portion 13 of the shift lever 10 is installed via the right and left connecting portions 24 (see FIG. 5). The lever support portion 23 is a hollow member having an upper surface and a lower surface opened, and has a partially spherical inner peripheral surface formed along the outer peripheral surface of the spherical body portion 13. The spherical body portion 13 supported by the lever support portion 23 can freely rotate inside the lever support portion 23.

  The housing | casing 21 has the left inclined surface part 21a and the right inclined surface part 21b which make V shape in cooperation in the lower wall part. The left inclined surface portion 21 a faces the detent leg portion 14 of the shift lever 10 and is formed along a surface that is substantially orthogonal to the axis of the detent leg portion 14. The right inclined surface portion 21 b faces the guide leg portion 15 of the shift lever 10 and is formed along a surface substantially orthogonal to the axis of the guide leg portion 15.

  On the upper surface of the left inclined surface portion 21a, a guide member 25 having a partially spherical spherical receiving surface 25a recessed downward is provided. The distal end portion of the detent leg portion 14 of the shift lever 10, that is, the urging portion 14 a is constantly pressed against the spherical receiving surface 25 a under the pressing force of the compression spring.

  The urging portion 14a is most advanced from the leg main body 14b when it is in contact with the central portion (bottom of the concave spherical surface) of the spherical receiving surface 25a, and the contact position of the urging portion 14a is the central portion of the spherical receiving surface 25a. The farther it is, the more it moves backward against the pressing force of the compression spring. The retracted urging portion 14a is strongly pressed against the spherical receiving surface 25a by the compression spring, and the pressing force is converted into a force for returning the urging portion 14a to the central portion of the spherical receiving surface 25a. For this reason, in the state where the operation force (force for tilting the shift lever 10) by the driver's hand is not applied to the shift lever 10, the shift lever 10 has the urging portion 14a positioned at the center of the spherical receiving surface 25a. It is held in the state to do. Thus, when the urging | biasing part 14a is located in the center part of the spherical receiving surface 25a, the shift lever 10 will be in the attitude | position which stood up in the perpendicular direction. Hereinafter, the position of the shift lever 10 in which the shift lever 10 is in the vertical position in this manner is referred to as a “home position”.

  On the other hand, when the shift lever 10 at the home position receives an operating force and is tilted and displaced in a predetermined direction, the urging portion 14a is separated from the central portion of the spherical receiving surface 25a, and accordingly, as described above, the urging portion A force is generated to return 14a to the center of the spherical receiving surface 25a. For this reason, when the operating force with respect to the shift lever 10 is released, the shift lever 10 naturally returns to the home position.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the detent for automatically returning the displaced shift lever 10 to the home position by the spherical receiving surface 25a formed of a concave partial spherical surface and the urging portion 14a constantly pressed against the spherical receiving surface 25a. A mechanism 30 is configured. In other words, the shifter device 1 of this embodiment provided with such a detent mechanism 30 belongs to the class of so-called momentary shifter devices.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a guide member 96 having a linear guide groove 97 extending in the left-right direction in plan view is provided on the upper surface of the right inclined surface portion 21b.

  In the guide groove 97, the tip end portion of the guide leg portion 15 of the shift lever 10 is slidably fitted. The shift lever 10 tilts in the left-right direction along the guide groove 97 by being supported by the above-described lever support portion 23 in a state where the guide leg portion 15 is fitted in the linear guide groove 97. It is possible to be displaced.

  FIG. 7A shows a state when the shift lever 10 is in the home position. When the shift lever 10 is at the home position, that is, when the urging portion 14a is at the center of the spherical receiving surface 25a and the shift lever 10 is erected in the vertical direction, the distal end portion of the guide leg portion 15 is Located at the left end of the guide groove 97. In this state, even if the shift lever 10 is tilted to the right, the tip of the guide leg 15 abuts against the left end of the guide groove 97, so that the shift lever 10 cannot be tilted to the right. .

  Instead, when the shift lever 10 is tilted and displaced to the left as shown in FIG. 7B from this state, the tip end portion of the guide leg portion 15 moves to the right along the guide groove 97. When the guide leg 15 comes into contact with the right end of the guide groove 97, the shift lever 10 can no longer be displaced to the left. In other words, the shift lever 10 can be freely tilted and displaced in the left-right direction only within the range from the position where the guide leg 15 is in contact with the left end of the guide groove 97 to the position where it is in contact with the right end. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the indicator 9 is displayed with a letter “H” indicating the home position on the right, and a horizontal bar extending leftward from which tilting displacement is possible.

  The insertion hole 22a provided in the cover portion 22 of the main body portion 20 allows the lever portion 12 to move in the left-right direction as the guide leg portion 15 moves from the left end portion to the right end portion of the guide groove 97. It is set to the size to get.

  As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, three sensors 29, 31, and 32 are provided in a guide groove 97 that is linearly formed in the guide member 96 in the left-right direction. One is a touch sensor 29 that detects that an object has come into contact with the surface from the outside, and the other two are pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 that detect pressure applied from the outside. Each sensor 29, 31, 32 is arranged on the vertical surface of the concave portion of the guide groove 97 at the right end of the guide groove 97. That is, when the shift lever 10 is tilted to the left as shown in FIG. 7B from the home position shown in FIG. 7A, the shift lever 10 is concentrated on the portion where the tip of the guide leg 15 is located. ing.

  8A and 8B, H in the solid line circle displayed at the left end of the guide groove 97 indicates the position of the guide leg 15 when the shift lever 10 is at the home position. N in the imaginary line circle displayed at the right end of the guide groove 97 indicates the position of the guide leg 15 when the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position (position where the neutral range is selected). . That is, the position at which the shift lever 10 is tilted and displaced to the left from the home position (the position at which the guide leg 15 has moved from the left end to the right end of the guide groove 97) is the neutral position. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the indicator 9 is arranged with a letter “H” indicating the home position on the right, with a horizontal bar extending in the left-right direction, which is the neutral range selection direction, interposed between them. A character “N” representing “” is arranged on the left. That is, the shift lever 10 is supported by the main body 20 so as to be displaceable only between the home position and the neutral position that is leftward from the home position. When the driver is tilting the displacement lever 10 at the home position to the left (displacement operation), the driver pulls the shift lever 10 toward his / her body.

  The touch sensor 29 is disposed on the right vertical surface of the recess at the right end of the guide groove 97 (that is, the end on the neutral position side), and the pressure sensor 31 on the front side is the front vertical of the recess at the right end of the guide groove 97. The pressure sensor 32 on the rear side is disposed on the rear longitudinal surface of the concave portion at the right end of the guide groove 97.

  The touch sensor 29 detects that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position, and corresponds to “neutral position detecting means” in the claims. The pressure sensor 31 on the front side detects an operating force applied to the rear (first direction) of the shift lever 10 that has moved a predetermined distance or more from the home position toward the neutral position, as will be described later. Corresponds to the “operating force detection means”. In particular, in the present embodiment, the pressure sensor 31 on the front side is a pressure sensor (drive pressure sensor) 31 for selecting a drive range. As will be described later, the pressure sensor 32 on the rear side detects an operation force applied forward (second direction) to the shift lever 10 that has moved a predetermined distance or more from the home position toward the neutral position. This corresponds to the “operation force detection means” described in the section. In particular, in the present embodiment, the pressure sensor 32 on the rear side is a pressure sensor (reverse pressure sensor) 32 for selecting a reverse range.

  Here, the shift lever 10 is guided in the left-right direction between the home position and the neutral position by moving the guide leg 15 in the left-right direction along the guide groove 97. Since the shift lever 10 is supported by the main body 20 so as to be tiltable in the left-right direction, the driver can tilt the shift lever 10 in the left-right direction (in this embodiment, the left-right direction is the neutral range selection direction). it can. For example, the driver makes contact with the right vertical surface of the right end of the guide groove 97 until the distal end of the guide leg 15 contacts the touch sensor 29 with a predetermined pressure, that is, the touch sensor 29 is in contact with the guide leg 15. The shift lever 10 can be tilted to the left from the home position until the contact is detected.

  On the other hand, as described above, the spherical body portion 13 of the shift lever 10 can freely rotate inside the lever support portion 23 (see FIG. 5). Moreover, the diameter of the front-end | tip part of the leg 15 for guides of the shift lever 10 is set smaller than the width | variety of the guide groove 97 (refer FIG. 8). Further, the detent mechanism 30 constituted by the spherical receiving surface 25a and the biasing portion 14a is not only when the shift lever 10 is tilted in the left-right direction because the spherical receiving surface 25a is circular in plan view, It also works when operated in the front-rear direction (see FIGS. 5 and 7).

  Therefore, the driver not only operates the shift lever 10 in the left-right direction (tilt operation) but also operates in the front-rear direction (in this embodiment, the front-rear direction is the travel range selection direction) (press operation instead of tilt operation). it can. For example, at the neutral position, the driver touches the front longitudinal surface of the right end of the guide groove 97 at the front end of the guide leg 15 and presses the drive pressure sensor 31 forward with a predetermined pressure, that is, The shift lever 10 can be pressed backward (in the first direction) until the drive pressure sensor 31 detects the forward pressing force of the guide leg 15. Further, at the neutral position, the driver makes contact until the tip end portion of the guide leg portion 15 comes into contact with the rear vertical surface of the right end portion of the guide groove 97 and presses the reverse pressure sensor 32 backward with a predetermined pressure, that is, It is possible to push the shift lever 10 forward (second direction) until the reverse pressure sensor 32 detects the backward pressing force of the guide leg 15. The shift lever 10 naturally returns to the home position by the detent mechanism 30 when the longitudinal pressing force (operation force) is released.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 8A, the touch sensor 29 is disposed on the right vertical surface of the right end portion of the guide groove 97. Therefore, the guide leg 15 cannot contact the touch sensor 29 unless the shift lever 10 moves leftward to the end on the neutral position side. That is, the touch sensor 29 can confirm that the shift lever 10 is surely in the neutral position. On the other hand, as illustrated in FIG. 8B, the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 are arranged with a certain amount of width in the left-right direction on the front and rear vertical surfaces of the right end portion of the guide groove 97. This width is necessary to increase the accuracy of the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 by picking up the distortion of the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 due to the pressing force, and is set as large as possible. Therefore, even if the shift lever 10 does not move to the end on the neutral position side, the guide leg 15 can contact the pressure sensitive sensors 31 and 32 if the shift lever 10 moves to the vicinity of the neutral position. That is, the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 detect an operating force (pressing force) applied in the front-rear direction to the shift lever 10 that has moved a predetermined distance or more from the home position toward the neutral position. I can't support being in the neutral position.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the detection sensitivity of the drive pressure sensor 31 is set lower than the detection sensitivity of the touch sensor 29, and the reverse pressure sensor is higher than the detection sensitivity of the drive pressure sensor 31. The detection sensitivity of 32 is set low. That is, when the driver wants the drive pressure-sensitive sensor 31 to detect the forward pressing force of the guide leg 15, the driver wants the touch sensor 29 to detect the contact of the guide leg 15. It is necessary to operate the shift lever 10 with a larger operating force. Further, when the driver tries to cause the reverse pressure-sensitive sensor 32 to detect the pressing force behind the guide leg 15, the driver presses the driving pressure-sensitive sensor 31 toward the front of the guide leg 15. It is necessary to operate the shift lever 10 with a larger operating force than when trying to detect this.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the shift knob 11 gripped by the driver and the guide leg portion 15 whose tip portion fits into the guide groove 97 formed in the guide member 96 are provided on the shift lever 10. The tilting fulcrum (that is, the center of the spherical portion 13 supported rotatably by the lever support portion 23) O is located on the opposite side to each other. The length between the center of the spherical shift knob 11 and the tilting fulcrum O is L1, and the tip of the guide leg 15 which is a fitting portion with the guide groove 97 in the guide leg 15 and the tilt. When the length between the fulcrum O is L2, L1 is set longer than L2 (L1> L2). Therefore, by the lever principle, the driver's operating force applied to the shift knob 11 is amplified (L1 / L2) times and acts on the distal end portion of the guide leg portion 15. Then, the tip end portion of the guide leg 15 comes into contact with the touch sensor 29 or presses the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 by the amplified operation force.

(2) Control System FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a control system related to the shifter device 1 of the present embodiment. The controller 60 shown in the figure is composed of a microcomputer including a well-known CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and corresponds to “control means” in the claims. That is, the controller 60 has a function of controlling the range of the automatic transmission 50 in accordance with the operation state of the shifter device 1. In FIG. 10, the controller 60 is shown as an integral block, but the controller 60 is composed of, for example, a plurality of microcomputers provided separately on the vehicle body side and the automatic transmission 50 side. There may be.

  The controller 60 includes the parking switch 8, the touch sensor 29, the drive pressure sensor 31, the reverse pressure sensor 32, the automatic transmission 50 (more specifically, the shift actuator 50 a), the indicator 9, and the meter unit 3. Electrically connected. The transmission actuator 50a of the automatic transmission 50 is, for example, a solenoid valve that switches between engagement and disengagement of a friction engagement element such as a clutch or a brake built in the automatic transmission 50.

  Further, the vehicle is provided with a brake sensor (brake switch) 42 for detecting whether or not the brake pedal is depressed, and the brake sensor 42 is also electrically connected to the controller 60.

  The controller 60 determines whether or not the parking switch 8 has been pressed according to a signal from a contact built in the parking switch 8. Further, it is determined whether or not the shift lever 10 has been tilted to the neutral position in accordance with a signal from the touch sensor 29. Further, it is determined whether the shift lever 10 is pressed in the front-rear direction at the neutral position according to signals from the pair of front-rear pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32.

  Then, based on the operation state of the shifter device 1 determined in this way, range switching control (also referred to as selection control) of the automatic transmission 50, display control of the indicator 9 and the meter unit 3 (current range). Control) to display.

  The controller 60 has a so-called shift lock function. That is, the controller 60 prohibits switching from the parking range to another range when it is confirmed that the brake pedal is in an off state (the brake pedal is not depressed) based on a signal from the brake sensor 42. It has a function to do.

(3) Shift Pattern Under the control of the controller 60 as described above, in this embodiment, the shift pattern of the shifter device 1 is set as shown in FIGS. 11 (a) to 11 (d) and FIG. Hereinafter, the contents of each figure will be described in detail.

(3-1) Shift Pattern from Parking Range FIG. 11A shows a shift pattern when the operation of the shift lever 10 is started from the state where the current range is the parking range. In the figure, “P” written on the right side indicates that the parking range is selected in the default state in which the shift lever 10 is held at the home position.

  “N” on the left side of “P” indicates that when the shift lever 10 is tilted from the home position to the neutral position to the left, the touch sensor 29 is turned on and switched to the neutral range. Show. In addition, “D” written with an inverted triangle sandwiched behind “N” indicates that the drive pressure sensor 31 is turned on from off to on when the shift lever 10 is pushed backward at the neutral position. It shows that it switches to. Similarly, “R” indicated by a triangle in front of “N” indicates that when the shift lever 10 is pushed forward in the neutral position, the reverse pressure sensor 32 is turned from OFF to ON, and the reverse range. It shows that it switches to.

In summary, the shift pattern when the current range is the parking range is as shown in the column “current range” = “P” in FIG.
・ Left operation → Neutral range ・ Left operation & Forward operation → Reverse range ・ Left operation & Rear operation → Drive range

  In such a shift pattern, the rear of pressing the shift lever 10 to select the drive range corresponds to the “first direction” in the claims, and the shift lever 10 is used to select the reverse range. The front of the pressing operation corresponds to the “second direction” in the claims.

(3-2) Shift Pattern from Reverse Range FIG. 11B shows a shift pattern when the operation of the shift lever 10 is started from a state where the current range is the reverse range. In the drawing, “R” shown on the right side indicates that the reverse range is selected in the default state in which the shift lever 10 is held at the home position.

  “N” written on the left side of “R” indicates that when the shift lever 10 is tilted from the home position to the neutral position to the left, the touch sensor 29 is turned from off to on to switch to the neutral range. Show. In addition, “D” written with an inverted triangle sandwiched behind “N” indicates that the drive pressure sensor 31 is turned on from off to on when the shift lever 10 is pushed backward at the neutral position. It shows that it switches to. Further, “empty” written with a triangle in front of “N” indicates that even if the shift lever 10 is pushed forward in the neutral position, the operation is invalid. When the operation is invalid, a message notifying that the operation is invalid is displayed on a predetermined display unit in the meter unit 3, for example, while the current range (reverse range here) is maintained.

To summarize the above, the shift pattern when the current range is the reverse range is also shown in the column “current range” = “R” in FIG.
-Tilt operation to the left → Neutral range-Tilt operation to the left & push operation forward → Invalid (reverse range maintenance)
・ Tilt operation to the left & push operation to the back → Drive range.

(3-3) Shift Pattern from Neutral Range FIG. 11C shows a shift pattern when the operation of the shift lever 10 is started from a state where the current range is the neutral range. In this figure, “N” written on the right side indicates that the neutral range is selected in the default state where the shift lever 10 is held at the home position.

  “N” written on the left side of “N” indicates that when the shift lever 10 is tilted from the home position to the neutral position to the left, the touch sensor 29 is turned from off to on to switch to the neutral range (neutral). Range is maintained). In addition, “D” written with an inverted triangle sandwiched behind “N” indicates that the drive pressure sensor 31 is turned on from off to on when the shift lever 10 is pushed backward at the neutral position. It shows that it switches to. Similarly, “R” indicated by a triangle in front of “N” indicates that when the shift lever 10 is pushed forward in the neutral position, the reverse pressure sensor 32 is turned from OFF to ON, and the reverse range. It shows that it switches to.

To summarize the above, the shift pattern when the current range is the neutral range is as shown in the column “current range” = “N” in FIG.
・ Left operation → Neutral range ・ Left operation & Forward operation → Reverse range ・ Left operation & Rear operation → Drive range

(3-4) Shift Pattern from Drive Range FIG. 11D shows a shift pattern when the operation of the shift lever 10 is started from the state where the current range is the drive range. In the drawing, “D” written on the right side indicates that the drive range is selected in the default state in which the shift lever 10 is held at the home position.

  “N” written on the left side of “D” indicates that when the shift lever 10 is tilted from the home position to the neutral position to the left, the touch sensor 29 is turned from off to on to switch to the neutral range. Show. In addition, “empty” written with an inverted triangle sandwiched behind “N” indicates that the operation is invalid even when the shift lever 10 is pushed backward in the neutral position. When the operation is invalid, the current range (here, the drive range) is maintained, and a message notifying that the operation is invalid is displayed on a predetermined display unit in the meter unit 3, for example. In addition, “R” indicated by a triangle in front of “N” indicates that when the shift lever 10 is pushed forward in the neutral position, the reverse pressure sensor 32 is turned from OFF to ON and is in the reverse range. It shows that it switches.

To summarize the above, the shift pattern when the current range is the drive range is as shown in the column “current range” = “D” in FIG.
-Tilt operation to the left → Neutral range-Tilt operation to the left & push operation forward → Reverse range-Tilt operation to the left & push operation backward → Invalid (maintain drive range)
become that way.

  If it is desired to switch from a range other than the parking range to the parking range, the parking switch 8 is pressed without using the shift lever 10. That is, when the parking switch 8 is pressed when the current range is one of the reverse, neutral, and drive ranges, the range switches to the parking range by itself.

(3-5) Travel Range Selection Logic [A] As described above, in the present embodiment, in the parking range or neutral range, the shift lever 10 is tilted from the home position to the neutral position, and then the neutral position is reached. When the shift lever 10 is pushed backward at the position, the drive pressure sensor 31 is turned on from off and the drive range is selected. When the shift lever 10 is pushed forward, the reverse pressure sensor 32 is turned off and on. The reverse range is selected.

  In the reverse range, when the shift lever 10 is tilted from the home position to the neutral position to the neutral position, and then the shift lever 10 is pushed backward at the neutral position, the drive pressure sensor 31 is turned off to on. The drive range is selected.

  In the drive range, when the shift lever 10 is tilted from the home position to the neutral position to the neutral position and then the shift lever 10 is pushed forward at the neutral position, the reverse pressure sensor 32 is turned on from off. The reverse range is selected.

  Here, as described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B, since the touch sensor 29 is disposed on the right vertical surface of the right end portion of the guide groove 97, the shift lever 10 is surely neutral. The pressure sensors 31 and 32 are provided with a certain width in the left-right direction on the longitudinal surfaces of the front and rear of the right end of the guide groove 97, so that the shift lever can be supported. It cannot be proved that 10 is certainly in the neutral position.

  That is, the pressure sensors 31 and 32 alone only detect the longitudinal pressing force applied to the shift lever 10 that has moved to the vicinity of the neutral position, and the pressing force depends on the driver's intention to select the travel range. It is impossible to distinguish whether the shift lever 10 is accidentally hit by the shift lever 10 or not.

  For example, when the driver wants to select a travel range, as shown in FIG. 8A, the guide leg 15 is moved to the home position at the left end of the guide groove 97 in accordance with the operation of the shift lever 10. Then, it moves straight to the right and moves to the neutral position at the right end of the guide groove 97. From there, it moves forward or backward to press the drive pressure sensor 31 or the reverse pressure sensor 32. . As a result, the pressure sensors 31, 32 are turned on from off.

  On the other hand, when the shift lever 10 accidentally hits diagonally, that is, the shift lever 10 in the home position hits a belonging such as a driver or an occupant's arm or a heel, and the force to the left is accidentally applied to the shift lever 10. In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 8B, the guide leg portion 15 is displaced rightward from the home position of the left end portion of the guide groove 97 diagonally (in the illustrated example, diagonally forward) and directly directly. The pressure sensor (in the illustrated example, the front pressure sensor 31 for driving) hits the pressure sensor. Also in this case, as a result, the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 are turned on from off as in the case where the driver operates the shift lever 10.

  As a result, if the pressing force generated due to the accidental diagonal hit of the shift lever 10 is mistakenly recognized as an operation by the driver to select the driving range, the driver willing to select the driving range. In spite of the absence, the driving range is selected by mistake.

  [B] Therefore, in this embodiment, another touch sensor 29 different from the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 is provided, and the touch sensor 29 separately detects that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position. . When the touch sensor 29 performs the above detection, it is proved that the shift lever 10 is surely in the neutral position. Therefore, when the touch sensor 29 is performing the above detection (ON state), it is further felt. The travel range is selected only when the pressure sensors 31 and 32 detect the above pressing force (when turned on). Thus, by adding the detection by the touch sensor 29 to the condition for selecting the driving range, there is a problem that the pressing force generated due to the accidental diagonal hit of the shift lever 10 is erroneously recognized as being due to the driver's operation. Avoided as much as possible. Therefore, erroneous selection of the travel range is efficiently suppressed.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 13A, when the touch sensor 29 detects that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position and is turned on, the controller 60 moves the shift lever 10 to select the travel range. It is determined that the operation has been performed. In this state, when the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 detect the pressing force applied to the shift lever 10 in the front-rear direction and are turned on, the travel range is selected. That is, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), when the guide leg 15 is in contact with the touch sensor 29 and the guide leg 15 further presses the pressure sensitive sensors 31, 32, the travel range is not changed. Make a choice. Thereby, when the driver tries to select the travel range, the range is definitely switched to the travel range.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13B, the controller 60 assumes that the shift lever 10 accidentally hits even if the pressure sensors 31 and 32 are ON when the touch sensor 29 is OFF. Judge and do not select the driving range. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 8B, in the state where the guide leg 15 is not in contact with the touch sensor 29, no matter how much the guide leg 15 presses the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32, The range is not selected. Thereby, when the shift lever 10 accidentally hits diagonally, the range is prevented from being erroneously switched to the travel range. In this case, the neutral range is not selected.

  In addition, as indicated by a chain line in FIG. 13B, the controller may turn on the pressure sensors 31 and 32 when the touch sensor 29 is OFF and then turn on the touch sensor 29. , Do not select the driving range. As a result, for example, even when the guide leg 15 moves to the neutral position while pressing one of the pressure sensors 31, 32, it is possible to prevent erroneous selection of the travel range that is not intended by the driver. it can.

  [C] In particular, in the present embodiment, the touch sensor 29 is disposed on the right vertical surface of the right end portion of the guide groove 97 as shown in FIGS. That is, the shift lever 10 is disposed at the end of the shiftable range in the left-right direction on the neutral position side. Therefore, the touch sensor 29 is turned on only when the tip end portion of the guide leg portion 15 moves from the left end portion of the guide groove 97 to the right vertical surface of the right end portion of the guide groove 97. In other words, it is turned on when the shift lever 10 is tilted until it can no longer be displaced leftward from the home position.

  Such a scene basically occurs when the driver is willing to select a driving range as shown in FIG. 8A, and as shown in FIG. It is hard to happen at the diagonal hit. Therefore, when the driver operates the shift lever 10 to select the travel range by the touch sensor 29 disposed on the right vertical surface of the right end portion of the guide groove 97, the shift lever 10 accidentally hits diagonally. The case can be clearly distinguished. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the problem of erroneously selecting the driving range by erroneously recognizing that the pressing force is generated in the pressure sensitive sensors 31 and 32 due to an accidental diagonal hit and that is due to the driver's intention. It becomes.

(4) Operation As described above, the vehicle shifter device 1 according to the present embodiment supports the shift lever 10 operated by a driver and the shift lever 10 so as to be displaceable (tiltable), and after being displaced. A main body 20 for automatically returning the shift lever 10 to a predetermined home position and a controller 60 for controlling the range of the automatic transmission 50 mounted on the vehicle based on the operation of the shift lever 10 are provided.

  In addition, the main body 20 supports the shift lever 10 so as to be displaceable only between the home position and a neutral position leftward from the home position. A touch sensor 29 is provided for detecting that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position. The drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 detect an operation force (pressing force) applied in the front-rear direction to the shift lever 10 that has moved from the home position toward the neutral position by a predetermined distance or more. It has been. The controller 60 selects the neutral range when the touch sensor 29 detects that the shift lever 10 is displaced from the home position to the neutral position. The controller 60 travels when the touch sensor 29 detects that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position and when the operation force (pressing force) is detected by the pressure sensitive sensors 31 and 32. Select a range (ie drive range or reverse range).

  According to this configuration, when the shift lever 10 is displaced leftward from the home position and moved to the neutral position, the neutral range is selected. Thereafter, when the shift lever 10 is pressed in the forward / backward direction at the neutral position, the drive range or Reverse range is selected. As described above, once the shift lever 10 is displaced to the neutral position, the travel range can be selected only by pressing the shift lever 10 (without the displacement operation). The required operation stroke is short and the driving range can be selected quickly and easily. In addition, advantages such as simplification of the mechanism of the shifter device 1 and reduction in size of the shifter device 1 can be obtained. As a result, for example, another operation mechanism such as an operation switch (commander or the like) of the information display device or a cup holder or the like can be arranged on the center console 5 shown in FIG. .

  At that time, pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 that detect an operating force (pressing force) in the front-rear direction applied to the shift lever 10 moved from the home position toward the neutral position by a predetermined distance or more, that is, the shift lever 10 moved to the vicinity of the neutral position. In addition, a touch sensor 29 for detecting that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position is provided, and the pressure sensors 31 and 32 are further detected in a state where the touch sensor 29 detects that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position. As described above with reference to FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b) and FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b), the travel range is selected only when the operating force (pressing force) is detected by Incorrect driving range selection is efficiently suppressed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, there is provided the vehicle shifter device 1 that requires a short operation stroke for selecting the travel range and that suppresses erroneous selection of the travel range.

  In the present embodiment, the touch sensor 29 is brought into contact with the distal end portion of the guide leg portion 15 of the shift lever 10 that has been displaced to the end portion on the neutral position side of the shiftable range of the shift lever 10 in the left-right direction. The shift lever 10 is detected to be in the neutral position (see FIG. 8).

  According to this configuration, since it is detected that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position when the shift lever 10 is displaced to the end on the neutral position side, the driver has a strong intention to select the travel range. It can be clearly confirmed. On the other hand, when the shift lever 10 accidentally strikes, as described with reference to FIG. 8B, it is difficult for the shift lever 10 to move to the end on the neutral position side. A problem that the pressing force generated due to the hit is erroneously recognized as being caused by the operation of the driver is eliminated with a high probability, and as a result, erroneous selection of the travel range is accurately suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, the detection sensitivities of the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 are set lower than the detection sensitivities of the touch sensor 29 (see FIG. 9).

  According to this configuration, the pressing operation of the shift lever 10 at the neutral position (travel range selection operation) is less likely to be detected than the displacement operation of the shift lever 10 from the home position to the neutral position (neutral range selection operation). . Therefore, the driver needs to operate the shift lever 10 with a larger operating force when selecting the travel range in which the driving force is transmitted to the vehicle, and the attention when selecting the travel range is increased. Safety is improved.

  In the present embodiment, the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 detect an operating force (pressing force) applied in the front-rear direction to the shift lever 10 that has moved a predetermined distance or more from the home position toward the neutral position. In addition, the controller 60 operates in the forward travel range when the touch sensor 29 detects that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position and further detects the rear operating force by the drive pressure sensor 31. A certain drive range is selected, and when a forward operating force is detected by the reverse pressure sensor 32, a reverse range that is a reverse traveling range is selected. The detection sensitivity of the reverse pressure sensor 32 is set lower than the detection sensitivity of the drive pressure sensor 31 (see FIG. 9).

  According to this configuration, the pushing operation to the front of the shift lever 10 at the neutral position (reverse range selecting operation) is detected rather than the pushing operation to the rear of the shift lever 10 at the neutral position (drive range selecting operation). It becomes difficult. Therefore, when selecting the reverse range in which the driving force in the reverse direction is transmitted to the vehicle, the driver needs to operate the shift lever 10 with a larger operating force. Attention is increased and safety is improved.

  In the present embodiment, a guide member 96 having a guide groove 97 that guides the movement of the shift lever 10 between the home position and the neutral position is provided, and the touch sensor 29 and the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 are configured as described above. The guide member 96 (more specifically, the guide groove 97) is provided (see FIG. 8).

  According to this configuration, the guide member 96, the touch sensor 29, and the pressure sensitive sensors 31, 32 are arranged so as to overlap each other. The compactness of the device 1 is promoted.

  In the present embodiment, the main body 20 supports the shift lever 10 so as to be tiltable. Further, the shift lever 10 has a shift knob 11 held by a driver and a guide leg 15 fitted with a guide groove 97 of the guide member 96 on opposite sides of the tilt fulcrum O. Have. A length L1 between the shift knob 11 and the tilting fulcrum O tilts with a fitting portion of the guide member 96 with the guide groove 97 of the guide member 96 (that is, the distal end portion of the guide leg 15). It is set longer than the length L2 between the fulcrum O (see FIG. 5).

  According to this configuration, the operating force applied to the shift knob 11 is amplified (L1 / L2) times by the lever principle and acts on the distal end portion of the guide leg portion 15. The operation of the shift lever 10 by the driver can be accurately detected without increasing the detection sensitivity of each sensor 29, 31, 32.

(5) Modification In the above embodiment, the left / right direction is the neutral range selection direction and the front / rear direction is the travel range selection direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the operation direction of the shift lever 10 is any direction (front / back, left / right, diagonal ) Can be changed as appropriate.

  The fitting part of the guide leg 15 with the guide groove 97 may be an intermediate part of the guide leg 15 instead of the tip of the guide leg 15.

  Instead of the guide groove 97, a rail member may be disposed on the guide member 96, and the distal end portion of the guide leg portion 15 may be branched into two so as to be slidably fitted to the rail member.

  Contrary to the above embodiment, the drive range may be selected by pressing the shift lever 10 forward at the neutral position, and the reverse range may be selected by pressing backward.

  Contrary to the above embodiment, the detection sensitivity of the pressure sensors 31 and 32 may be set higher than the detection sensitivity of the touch sensor 29. In this case, the pressing operation of the shift lever 10 at the neutral position (travel range selection operation) is more easily detected than the displacement operation of the shift lever 10 from the home position to the neutral position (neutral range selection operation). Therefore, since the driver only needs to operate the shift lever 10 with a smaller operating force when selecting the travel range, the drive range can be selected with a light feeling.

  The shifter device 1 according to the above embodiment switches the range of the stepped automatic transmission 50 interposed between the engine (internal combustion engine) and the wheels, but the present invention is applicable. The transmission is not limited to a stepped automatic transmission, and may be a continuously variable transmission (CVT), for example.

  Although the above embodiment is for a so-called left-hand drive vehicle (see FIG. 1), it is of course possible to apply the present invention to a right-hand drive vehicle. In that case, for example, the display of the indicator 9 shown in FIG. 2, the arrangement of the parking switch 8 and the indicator 9 and the shift lever 10, the shift patterns shown in FIGS. It is preferable to make it.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a vehicle equipped with an engine composed of an internal combustion engine. However, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or the like that can travel with a travel motor.

1 Vehicle shifter device 10 Shift lever (operation member)
11 Shift knob (grip)
15 Guide leg (guided part)
20 Body 29 Touch sensor (neutral position detection means)
31 Pressure sensor for drive (operating force detection means)
32 Pressure sensor for reverse (operation force detection means)
50 Automatic transmission 60 Controller (control means)
96 Guide member 97 Guide groove L1 Length between the center of the shift knob and the tilt fulcrum L2 Length between the tip of the guide leg and the tilt fulcrum O Tilt fulcrum

Claims (7)

Mounted on the vehicle based on the operation of the operation member operated by the driver, the main body that supports the operation member in a displaceable manner and automatically returns the displaced operation member to a predetermined home position, and A shifter device for a vehicle comprising a control means for controlling the range of the transmitted transmission,
The main body supports the operating member displaceably only between the home position and a neutral position away from the home position in a predetermined direction.
Neutral position detecting means for detecting that the operating member is in the neutral position;
An operation force detecting means for detecting an operation force applied in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction with respect to the operation member that has moved from the home position toward the neutral position by a predetermined distance or more;
The control means includes
When the neutral position detecting means detects that the operating member has been displaced from the home position to the neutral position, the neutral range is selected,
A vehicle shifter, wherein a travel range is selected when the operation force is detected by the operation force detection means in a state where the operation member is detected to be in the neutral position by the neutral position detection means. apparatus. The vehicle shifter device according to claim 1,
The neutral position detection means detects that the operation member is in the neutral position by contacting a part of the operation member displaced to the end on the neutral position side of the displaceable range of the operation member. A vehicle shifter device characterized by the above. The vehicle shifter device according to claim 1 or 2,
The vehicle shifter device, wherein the detection sensitivity of the operating force detection means is set lower than the detection sensitivity of the neutral position detection means. The vehicle shifter device according to claim 1 or 2,
The vehicle shifter device, wherein the detection sensitivity of the operating force detection means is set higher than the detection sensitivity of the neutral position detection means. The vehicle shifter device according to claim 3 or 4,
The operating force detection means detects an operating force applied in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the predetermined direction with respect to the operating member moved by a predetermined distance or more from the home position toward the neutral position,
The control means has a travel range in the forward direction when the operation force in the first direction is further detected by the operation force detection means in a state where the operation position is detected by the neutral position detection means. A certain drive range is selected, and when the operation force in the second direction is detected, a reverse range that is a reverse travel range is selected.
The vehicle shifter device characterized in that the detection sensitivity of the operation force detection means in the second direction is set lower than the detection sensitivity of the operation force detection means in the first direction. The vehicle shifter device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A guide member for guiding movement of the operation member between the home position and the neutral position is provided;
The vehicle shifter device, wherein the neutral position detecting means and the operating force detecting means are provided on the guide member. The vehicle shifter device according to claim 6,
The main body supports the operation member to be tiltable,
The operating member has a gripping part gripped by a driver and a guided part that engages with the guide member on opposite sides with respect to the tilting fulcrum,
The vehicle shifter characterized in that a length between the gripping portion and the tilting fulcrum is set to be longer than a length between the engaging portion of the guided portion with the guide member and the tilting fulcrum. apparatus.

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