JP6094474B2 - 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 the shift lever is erroneously determined to be due to the driver's operation, the driving range is erroneously set even though the driver does not intend 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 separated in a direction, and the operation member moved from the home position toward the neutral position by a predetermined distance or more is applied in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. An operation force detecting means for detecting an operation force is provided, and the control means moves the operation member from the home position toward the neutral position. It is determined that the operating member has moved to the neutral position based on the output mode of the detected value of the operating force output from the operating force detecting means, and the transmission range is adjusted accordingly. Based on the output mode of the detected value of the operating force output from the operating force detection means after switching to the range and the movement of the operating member to the neutral position is determined, the operating member is moved to the neutral position at the neutral position. It is determined that the pressing operation has been performed in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction, and accordingly, the transmission range is switched from the neutral range to the traveling range, and the operating force detection means is provided on one side of the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. The first detection means provided along the predetermined direction in FIG. 5 and the first detection means on the other side so as to face the first detection means The first detection means and the second detection means are generated when the operation member comes into contact with each detection means in accordance with the displacement of the operation member from the home position to the neutral position. The component force in the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction can be detected, and the control unit detects both the component force by the first detection unit and the second detection unit, and the detected value of the first detection unit and the second value When the difference from the detection value of the detection means is equal to or smaller than a predetermined reference value, it is determined that the operating member is in the neutral position, and the transmission range is switched to the neutral range .

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 orthogonal to 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.

In particular, according to the present invention, the operating member is moved to the neutral position based on the output mode of the detected value of the operating force output from the operating force detecting means when the operating member is moving from the home position toward the neutral position. It is determined that the operation member has been pressed in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction based on the output form of the detection value from that state. The transmission range is switched to the travel range only after such a determination is made. That is, according to the present invention, the travel range is selected unless the movement of the operation member to the neutral position and the pressing operation of the operation member in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction (predetermined direction) occur in this order. There is nothing. Therefore, even if the operating member temporarily moves toward the neutral position due to a factor unintended by the driver (for example, slant hit), the possibility of switching to the driving range is reduced accordingly. Misselection is effectively suppressed.

Moreover, since both the movement of the operating member to the neutral position and the pressing operation in the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction at the neutral position are determined based on the output mode of the operating force detecting means, for example, Compared to the case where separate detection means are used for the former determination and the latter determination, the number of detection means can be reduced, and the mechanism of the shifter device can be further simplified.

  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.

More specifically, in the present invention, the first detection means is provided along the predetermined direction on one side of the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction, and the second detection means is opposed to the first detection means on the other side. Detection means is provided, both the first detection means and the second detection means detect a component force in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction, and the detection value of the first detection means and the detection value of the second detection means When the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined reference value, it is determined that the operating member is in the neutral position and the transmission range is switched to the neutral range, so that the operating member that is moving from the home position toward the neutral position Based on the mode of contact with the operating force detecting means, it is appropriately determined that the operating member is in the neutral position. That is, when the driver displaces the operation member to select the travel range, the operation member comes into contact with the first detection unit and the second detection unit substantially evenly. Therefore, both the first detection means and the second detection means detect the component force in the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction, and the difference between the detection values becomes small. By utilizing this, in the above configuration, when the difference between the detection values of the first detection means and the second detection means is equal to or smaller than a predetermined reference value, it is determined that the operation member is in the neutral position. . Thereby, when the operating member is displaced from the home position to the neutral position, it is reasonably determined that the operating member has certainly moved to the neutral position.

  In the present invention, the control means is configured such that one detection value increases and the other detection value decreases from a state where the difference between the detection value of the first detection means and the detection value of the second detection means is equal to or less than the reference value. When the difference becomes larger than a predetermined threshold for determination, it is preferable to determine that the operation member has been pressed and to switch the transmission range to the travel range.

According to this configuration, it is appropriately determined that the operating member has been pressed at the neutral position based on the manner in which the operating member determined to be in the neutral position is pressed against the subsequent operating force detection means. That is, when the driver presses the operating member in the neutral position in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction in order to select the travel range, the detection value of either the first detection means or the second detection means increases, The detected value decreases and the difference increases. By utilizing this fact, in the above configuration, when the difference between the detection values of the first detection means and the second detection means is less than or equal to the reference value, one detection value increases and the other detection value decreases. When the difference becomes larger than a predetermined determination threshold, it is determined that the operation member has been pressed. Thereby, it is reasonably determined that the operation member is surely pressed in the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction at the neutral position.

  In the present invention, the control means detects either the first detection means or the second detection means before the first detection means and the second detection means both detect the component forces. At that time, it is preferable to prohibit subsequent switching to the neutral range and switching to the traveling range.

  According to this configuration, when the diagonal hit is determined at the stage before both the first detection means and the second detection means detect the component force, it is then determined whether the operating member has moved to the neutral position. Needless to say, the selection of the neutral range and the selection of the traveling range are not performed as quickly as possible. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent erroneous selection of the neutral range and the traveling range unintended by the driver from a relatively early point.

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 first detection means and the second detection means are provided in the guide member. .

According to this configuration, since the guide member and the first and second detection units are arranged so as to overlap each other, the shifter device can be made compact compared to the case where the guide member and the first and second detection units are arranged separately taking up occupied space. 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, due to 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, the operating force detecting means provided on the guide member The operation of the operation member by the driver can be accurately detected without increasing the detection 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 block diagram which shows the control system of the said shifter apparatus. 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. 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.

(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. 9). 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, two sensors 31 and 32 are provided in a guide groove 97 formed in the guide member 96 in a straight line shape in the left-right direction. These sensors are pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 that detect pressure applied from the outside. Each sensor 31, 32 is disposed 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 front pressure sensor 31 is disposed on the front vertical surface of the recess at the right end of the guide groove 97, and the rear pressure sensor 32 is disposed on the rear vertical surface of the recess at the right end of the guide groove 97. ing.

  The pressure sensor 31 on the front side detects an operating force (pressing force) applied rearward to the shift lever 10 that has moved from the home position toward the neutral position by a predetermined distance β or more, 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 (pressing force) applied forward to the shift lever 10 that has moved from the home position toward the neutral position by a predetermined distance β or more. This corresponds to “operating force detection means” 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 (displaceable) in the left-right direction, the driver tilts the shift lever 10 in the left-right direction (in this embodiment, the left-right direction is the neutral range selection direction). Operation (displacement operation) can be performed. For example, the driver moves the tip of the guide leg 15 to the right end of the guide groove 97, and the shift distance of the shift lever 10 from the home position to the neutral position is longer than the predetermined distance β. The shift lever 10 is moved from the home position to the left until the distance α (that is, α> β) is exceeded, that is, as described later, until the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 detect that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position. Tilt operation is possible.

  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 pushed backward 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 until the reverse pressure sensor 32 detects the pressing force behind 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.

  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 presses the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 with the amplified operation force.

(2) Control System FIG. 9 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 performs various determinations according to the operation state of the shifter device 1, specifically based on the output mode of the detected value of the operation force (pressing force) output from the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32. And has a function of controlling the range of the automatic transmission 50 according to the determination result. In FIG. 9, the controller 60 is shown as an integral block. However, the controller 60 is composed of a plurality of microcomputers provided separately on the vehicle body side and the automatic transmission 50 side, for example. There may be.

  The controller 60 is electrically connected to the parking switch 8, 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 described above. Has been. 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 according to signals from the pair of front and rear pressure sensors 31, 32. Similarly, in accordance with signals from the pair of front and rear pressure sensors 31, 32, it is determined whether the shift lever 10 is pressed in the front-rear direction at the neutral position.

  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) Pressure Sensor As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the drive pressure sensor 31 is a direction in which the guide groove 97 extends and the shift lever 10 is tilted (displaced). The guide leg 15 is provided on the front side in the left-right direction, which is the direction in which the guide leg 15 moves (first detection means), and the reverse pressure sensor 32 is arranged on the rear side so as to face the drive pressure sensor 31. (Second detection means).

  Both the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 have a certain width in the left-right direction, and the thickness in the front-rear direction increases toward the right side, that is, the neutral position side. For this reason, the opposing surfaces of the pressure sensors 31, 32 (the inner surface with respect to the guide groove 97) are inclined surfaces that become higher toward the neutral position side. And the space | interval of the front-back direction between the mutual opposing surfaces of both the pressure sensors 31 and 32 is so narrow that the neutral position side. Specifically, the distance between the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 is such that the diameter of the guide leg 15 is slightly leftward from the right vertical surface of the right end of the guide groove 97 (position just before the right vertical surface). Are approximately equal. This position is set to a position where the leftward moving distance from the home position of the shift lever 10 toward the neutral position exceeds the reference distance α, that is, the neutral position.

  When the shift lever 10 is displaced leftward from the home position toward the neutral position, the guide leg 15 moves rightward from the left end of the guide groove 97 toward the right end, and the guide leg 15 is pressure sensitive. It contacts the sensors 31 and 32. At this time, since the guide leg portion 15 abuts on the inclined surfaces of the pressure sensors 31, 32, a component force directed to the right and a component force directed in the front-rear direction by the pressing force generated due to the abutment are obtained. Occurs. Specifically, the front drive pressure sensor 31 has a rightward force component and a forward force component, and the rear reverse pressure sensor 32 has a rightward force component and a rear force component. This produces a component force. Each of the pressure sensitive sensors 31 and 32 can detect a component force in the front-rear direction (that is, a component force in a direction orthogonal to the left-right direction).

  When the driver moves the shift lever 10 to select the travel range, the guide leg 15 is positioned immediately before the right vertical surface of the guide groove 97, ie, neutral, as shown in FIG. In position, both the pressure sensor 31 for drive and the pressure sensor 32 for reverse are in contact with each other substantially at the same time. Therefore, both the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 detect the component force in the front-rear direction substantially simultaneously, and the difference between the detected values is relatively small. In this case, the shift lever 10 moves beyond the predetermined distance β from the home position toward the neutral position, and further moves by a reference distance α or more.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10A, the controller 60 detects that the component force is detected almost simultaneously by both the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32, and turns on from OFF. When the difference between the detected value of the pressure sensor 31 and the detected value of the reverse pressure sensor 32 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined reference value, it can be determined that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position. In other words, the controller 60 outputs the detected value of the operation force (pressing force) output from the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 when the shift lever 10 is moving from the home position toward the neutral position (FIG. 10). Based on (a)), it is determined that the shift lever 10 has moved to the neutral position. Accordingly, the controller 60 switches the range of the automatic transmission 50 to the neutral range.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 10A, the controller 60 determines that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position after both the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 are turned on. After that, the driver further presses the shift lever 10 in the front-rear direction (rear in the illustrated example), and as a result, either the pressure sensor 31 for driving or the pressure sensor 32 for reverse (illustrated in the illustrated example is for driving). The detected value of the pressing force (operating force) of the pressure sensor 31) increases, while the detected value of the pressing force (operating force) of the other (reverse pressure sensor 32 in the example shown in the figure) decreases, so that the pressure for driving When the difference between the detection value of the pressing force of the sensor 31 and the detection value of the pressing force of the reverse pressure-sensitive sensor 32 becomes larger than a predetermined determination threshold value from a state below the reference value, the shift lever 10 is turned off. Longitudinal direction at Toraru position (illustrated example the rear) determines to have been pressed in. In other words, the controller 60 outputs the detected value of the operating force (pressing force) output from the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 after the shift lever 10 is determined to move to the neutral position (FIG. 10A). Based on the above, it is determined that the shift lever 10 has been pressed in the front-rear direction at the neutral position. Accordingly, the controller 60 switches the range of the automatic transmission 50 from the neutral range to the travel range (the drive range in the figure).

  On the other hand, when the shift lever 10 hits diagonally, the guide leg 15 is positioned relatively to the left (neutral position) from the right vertical surface of the guide groove 97 as illustrated in FIG. In the vicinity of the neutral position, only one of the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 is brought into contact. For this reason, only one of the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 (the front drive pressure sensor 31 in the illustrated example) detects the component force in the front-rear direction. In this case, the shift lever 10 is moved from the home position toward the neutral position by a predetermined distance β or more and a reference distance α or less.

  Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 10B, the controller 60 is configured so that only one of the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 (the drive pressure sensor 31 in the figure) is the component force. Can be determined that the shift lever 10 is not in the neutral position but in the vicinity of the neutral position.

  Then, as indicated by a chain line in FIG. 10B, when only one of the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 is turned on, the controller 60 then turns on the other. Even if it becomes (that is, both are ON), the traveling range is not selected. In other words, the controller 60 has only one of the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 detected before both the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 detect the component force. When the component force is detected, the selection of the travel range (switching to the travel range) is prohibited at that time. Thereby, for example, when the guide leg 15 moves to the neutral position while pressing either one of the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 due to a relatively strong diagonal contact, the shift lever 10 reaches the neutral position. Without waiting for detection of whether or not the vehicle is displaced, it is possible to reliably prevent erroneous selection of the driving range unintended by the driver as soon as possible.

  In this case, the controller 60 also prohibits the selection of the neutral range (switching to the neutral range).

  The reference distance α is set to a value longer than the predetermined distance β (α> β). In addition, the scene where the shift distance of the shift lever 10 exceeds the reference distance α basically occurs when the driver intends to select a travel range, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8 (b), it is difficult to occur in the case of an accidental diagonal hit. Therefore, when such a reference distance α is set to a relatively long value, the case where the driver operates the shift lever 10 in an attempt to select the traveling range and the case where the shift lever 10 accidentally hits diagonally. It can be clearly distinguished. For this reason, it is possible to eliminate a problem of erroneously selecting a travel range by erroneously determining that the pressure sensor 31 or 32 is caused by an accidental diagonal hit and that is caused by the intention of the driver. It becomes.

(4) 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.

(4-1) 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” written on the left side of “P” is switched to the neutral range when the shift lever 10 is tilted from the home position to the neutral position to the left (when the movement distance exceeds the reference distance α). It is shown that. In addition, “D” written with an inverted triangle sandwiched behind “N” indicates that the drive range is switched to when the shift lever 10 is pushed backward at the neutral position. Similarly, “R” written in front of “N” with a triangle sandwiched therein indicates that the shift range is switched to the reverse range when the shift lever 10 is pushed forward at the neutral position.

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

(4-2) 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” is switched to the neutral range when the shift lever 10 is tilted from the home position to the neutral position (when the movement distance exceeds the reference distance α). It is shown that. In addition, “D” written with an inverted triangle sandwiched behind “N” indicates that the drive range is switched to when the shift lever 10 is pushed backward at the neutral position. 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.

(4-3) 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” is switched to the neutral range when the shift lever 10 is tilted from the home position to the neutral position to the left (when the movement distance exceeds the reference distance α). (Neutral range is maintained). In addition, “D” written with an inverted triangle sandwiched behind “N” indicates that the drive range is switched to when the shift lever 10 is pushed backward at the neutral position. Similarly, “R” written in front of “N” with a triangle sandwiched therein indicates that the shift range is switched to the reverse range when the shift lever 10 is pushed forward at the neutral position.

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

(4-4) 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” is switched to the neutral range when the shift lever 10 is tilted from the home position to the neutral position (when the movement distance exceeds the reference distance α). It is shown that. 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. Further, “R” written with a triangle in front of “N” indicates that when the shift lever 10 is pushed forward at the neutral position, the reverse range is switched.

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.

(5) 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 (can be tilted), 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. Further, a drive pressure sensor 31 and a reverse pressure sensor 32 that 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 β or more are provided. Is provided. The controller 60 detects the detected value of the operation force (pressing force) output from the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 when the shift lever 10 is moving from the home position toward the neutral position. Based on the output mode (FIG. 10A), it is determined that the shift lever 10 has moved to the neutral position, and accordingly, the range of the automatic transmission 50 is switched to the neutral range. Further, the controller 60 outputs the detected value of the operation force (pressing force) output from the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 after the shift lever 10 is determined to move to the neutral position (FIG. 10). Based on (a)), it is determined that the shift lever 10 has been pressed in the front-rear direction at the neutral position, and accordingly, the range of the automatic transmission 50 is switched from the neutral range to the travel 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. .

In particular, according to the present embodiment, the shift is performed based on the output mode of the detected value of the operation force output from the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 when the shift lever 10 is moving from the home position toward the neutral position. It is determined that the lever 10 has moved to the neutral position, and it is further determined that the shift lever 10 has been pressed in the front-rear direction based on the output mode of the detected value from that state. Only after such a determination is made, the range of the automatic transmission 50 is switched to the travel range. That is, according to the present embodiment, unless the shift lever 10 moves to the neutral position and the shift lever 10 is pressed in this order in the direction orthogonal to the movement direction (leftward) (front-rear direction). The driving range is never selected. Therefore, even if the shift lever 10 temporarily moves toward the neutral position due to a factor unintended by the driver (for example, oblique hit of the shift lever 10), the possibility of switching to the travel range is reduced accordingly. Thus, erroneous selection of the travel range is effectively suppressed.

  In addition, both the leftward movement of the shift lever 10 to the neutral position and the pressing operation of the shift lever 10 in the front-rear direction at the neutral position are determined based on the output modes of the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32. Therefore, for example, the number of sensors can be reduced compared to the case where separate sensors are used for the determination of the left movement of the shift lever 10 and the determination of the pressing operation of the shift lever 10, and the shifter device 1 mechanism can be further simplified.

  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 drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 are in the direction in which the shift lever 10 tilts (displaces) and moves in the left-right direction, which is the direction in which the guide leg 15 moves. It is provided so as to face each other. In that case, the drive pressure sensor 31 is provided on the front side in the front-rear direction orthogonal to the left-right direction, and the reverse pressure sensor 32 is provided on the rear side. The pressure sensor 31 for driving and the pressure sensor 32 for reverse use the guide leg 15 which is a part of the shift lever 10 as the pressure sensor 31, 32 as the shift lever 10 is displaced from the home position to the neutral position. It is possible to detect the component force in the front-rear direction that occurs when abutting. The controller 60 detects that the component force is detected by both the pressure sensor 31 for driving and the pressure sensor 32 for reverse, and the detected value of the pressure sensor 31 for driving and the detected value of the pressure sensor 32 for reverse. When the difference between the shift lever 10 is equal to or less than a predetermined reference value, it is determined that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position, and the range of the automatic transmission 50 is switched to the neutral range (see FIGS. 8A and 10A). .

  According to this configuration, it is appropriately determined that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position based on the contact state of the shift lever 10 that is moving from the home position toward the neutral position with the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32. Is done. That is, when the driver operates the shift lever 10 to select the travel range, the guide leg 15 comes into contact with the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 substantially evenly. Therefore, both the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 detect the component force in the front-rear direction, and the difference between the detected values is small. By utilizing this, in the above configuration, when the difference between the detection values of the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined reference value, it is determined that the shift lever 10 is in the neutral position. I did it. Thereby, when the shift lever 10 is displaced from the home position to the neutral position, it is reasonably determined that the shift lever 10 has indeed moved to the neutral position.

  In this embodiment, the controller 60 increases the detected value of one from the state where the difference between the detected values of the pressure sensor 31 for driving and the pressure sensor 32 for reverse is equal to or less than the reference value, and detects the other detected value. Decreases, and when the difference becomes larger than a predetermined determination threshold, it is determined that the shift lever 10 is pressed, and the range of the automatic transmission 50 is switched to the travel range (see FIG. 10A). .

  According to this configuration, it is appropriately determined that the shift lever 10 has been pressed at the neutral position based on the manner in which the shift lever 10 determined to be in the neutral position is subsequently pressed against the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32. Is done. That is, when the driver presses the shift lever 10 in the forward / backward direction at the neutral position in order to select the travel range, the detected value of either the drive pressure sensor 31 or the reverse pressure sensor 32 increases, The detected value decreases and the difference increases. By utilizing this, in the above configuration, one detection value rises from the state where the difference between the detection values of the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 is equal to or less than the reference value, and the other detection value. When the difference decreases and the difference becomes larger than a predetermined threshold for determination, it is determined that the shift lever 10 has been pressed. Thereby, it is reasonably determined that the shift lever 10 is surely pressed in the front-rear direction at the neutral position.

  In this embodiment, the controller 60 determines which of the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 before both the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 detect the component force. When only one of them detects the above component force, at that time, switching to the neutral range and switching to the traveling range are prohibited thereafter (see FIGS. 8B and 10B).

  According to this configuration, when the diagonal hit is determined at the stage before both the drive pressure sensor 31 and the reverse pressure sensor 32 detect the component force, the shift lever 10 is then moved to the neutral position. The neutral range and the travel range are not selected as quickly as possible without determining whether the vehicle has moved. Thereby, for example, when the guide leg 15 moves to the neutral position while pressing one of the pressure sensors 31, 32 due to a relatively strong diagonal contact, the driver is started from a relatively early point. It is possible to reliably prevent erroneous selection of the neutral range and travel range that are not intended.

  In the present embodiment, a guide member 96 having a guide groove 97 formed to guide the movement of the shift lever 10 between the home position and the neutral position is provided, and the pressure sensitive sensors 31 and 32 are provided with the guide member 96 ( More specifically, it is provided in the guide groove 97) (see FIG. 8).

  According to this configuration, since the guide member 96 and the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 are arranged so as to overlap each other, the shifter device 1 can be made more compact as compared to the case where the guide member 96 and the pressure-sensitive sensors 31 and 32 are separately arranged with an occupied space. 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 the pressure sensitive sensors 31 and 32.

(6) 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 / rear, 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.

  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 31 Pressure sensor for driving (operation force detection means, first detection means)
32 Pressure sensor for reverse (operation force detection means, second 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 (5)

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.
An operation force detecting means for detecting an operation force applied in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction with respect to the operation member moved by a predetermined distance or more from the home position toward the neutral position;
The control means includes
Based on the output mode of the detected value of the operating force output from the operating force detection means when the operating member is moving from the home position toward the neutral position, the operating member is moved to the neutral position. It is determined that it has moved, and the transmission range is switched to the neutral range accordingly.
The operation member is orthogonal to the predetermined direction at the neutral position based on an output mode of the detected value of the operation force output from the operation force detection means after the movement of the operation member to the neutral position is determined. It is determined that a pressing operation has been performed in the direction to be performed, and accordingly, the transmission range is switched from the neutral range to the traveling range ,
The operating force detection means is provided so as to face the first detection means provided along the predetermined direction on one side in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction, and to face the first detection means on the other side. Second detecting means,
The first detection means and the second detection means can detect a component force in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction generated when the operation member comes into contact with each detection means as the operation member is displaced from the home position to the neutral position. And
In the control means, both the first detection means and the second detection means detect the component force, and the difference between the detection value of the first detection means and the detection value of the second detection means is equal to or less than a predetermined reference value. Sometimes, it is determined that the operation member is in the neutral position, and the range of the transmission is switched to the neutral range . The vehicle shifter device according to claim 1 ,
From the state where the difference between the detection value of the first detection means and the detection value of the second detection means is equal to or less than the reference value, the control means increases one detection value and decreases the other detection value. A vehicle shifter device that determines that the operating member has been pressed and switches the range of the transmission to a travel range when the value becomes larger than a predetermined threshold for determination. The vehicle shifter device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
When only one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit detects the component force before both the first detection unit and the second detection unit detect the component force, A vehicle shifter device characterized by prohibiting subsequent switching to the neutral range and switching to the traveling range at the time. The vehicle shifter device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
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 first detection means and the second detection means are provided on the guide member. The vehicle shifter device according to claim 4 ,
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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