JPH0318070B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a shift lever return structure in a vehicle power transmission system.

[Prior art] A shift lever for switching gears in a vehicle's power transmission system changes gears by two-dimensional rocking in the X-axis direction and Y-axis direction, so-called rocking displacement in the shift direction and the select direction. It is configured to perform a gear switching operation.

In the free state where these gear changes are not performed at all,
It is desirable to adopt a return structure that applies a certain amount of biasing force to facilitate return to the neutral position.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, if the biasing force is too strong, the shift lever may move automatically when the clutch is disengaged for some purpose while driving at a certain shift position, or due to impact, vibration, etc. This is extremely inconvenient as it may cause the vehicle to return to the neutral position. Therefore, in order to facilitate the return to the neutral position, the resisting force must be moderately strong and extremely stable, but conventionally there has been no suitable structure.

The present invention has been devised in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and aims to provide a return structure for a shift lever that can be easily returned from a certain shift position to a neutral position with an extremely stable biasing force using simple structural innovations. .

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a vertical shaft connected below the shift lever, and a first swinging motion centered on an intermediate portion of the vertical shaft;
a shift operation mechanism that performs a shift operation by performing a second swing in a direction perpendicular to the first swing around the lower end of the vertical shaft; a guide member having a positioning means for holding and positioning the lower end portion by contacting the lower end member of the vertical shaft; a horizontal shaft that is pivotally supported and supported by left and right fixed members so as to be movable in the axial direction by the second rocking motion;
Left and right springs are fitted into the horizontal shaft and separated into left and right at a pivot point with the vertical shaft, and are interposed between the left and right fixing members in an elastically retained state, respectively, so as to return the shift lever. constructed the structure.

[Operation] With the shift lever return structure of the present invention configured as described above, the left-right swing of the shift lever causes an axial sliding movement of the horizontal shaft provided below. A spring is interposed between the left and right supporting and fixing members of the horizontal shaft so as to sandwich the pivot portion of the horizontal shaft from the left and right, and the elastic force of the spring acts on the shift lever from the left and right.

Therefore, when the horizontal shaft slides to the left or right due to the rocking of the shift lever, the repulsive force of the spring whose length is shortened due to sliding increases, and this increased repulsive force returns the horizontal shaft to its initial neutral position. A biasing force acts to return it to . In other words, an urging force acts to return the shaft lever, which pivotally supports the horizontal shaft near the center via a cylindrical body, to the neutral position.

This spring is inserted into the transverse shaft and, since it expands and contracts only in relation to the axial movement of the horizontal axis, the movement is extremely unified and therefore moves very smoothly. Therefore, while it is easy to set the spring constant, the spring constant once determined is always stable and will not change over a long period of time. This makes the return biasing force of the shift lever extremely stable.

[Embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the shift lever return structure of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

A shift device 1 for shifting a transmission gear (not shown) of a vehicle is provided on a floor surface to the side of a driver's seat (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this shift device 1 has a vertical shaft 5 connected and extended below a shift lever 3, and has a short cylindrical body near the center of the vertical shaft 5. A rectangular cylinder body 7 is attached to the vertical shaft 5 in the form of dividing it into upper and lower parts.

Inside the rectangular cylinder 7, a horizontal shaft 9 facing in the vehicle width direction is disposed to pass through the vertical shaft 5 at a substantially right angle, and is pivotally supported on the rectangular cylinder 7 by a pin 11.

Both ends of the horizontal shaft 9 extend through the left and right side walls of a bracket 13 of the shift device 1 fixed to the vehicle floor, and are supported by the side walls of the bracket 13 so as to be rotatable and swingable. .

Furthermore, several annular grooves 17 are cut into the outer periphery of one end 15 of the horizontal shaft 9, and check ball grooves 19 with springs that engage with these annular grooves 17 are attached to the side wall of the bracket 13. These components constitute a lateral positioning device 21 for positioning the axial movement of the lateral shaft 9.

A vertical shaft 5 extending below the rectangular cylinder 7
A check ball 23 with a spring is also attached to the lower end of the holder. When the shift lever 3 is operated, the vertical shaft 5 undergoes a first oscillation about the middle part of the vertical shaft 5, that is, a oscillation along the vehicle traveling direction about the horizontal shaft 9, a so-called longitudinal oscillation. do.

At this time, the swing of the check ball 23 at the lower end of the vertical shaft 5 is limited to the circular arc when the vertical shaft 5 swings in the vertical direction on the vertical plane, and the check ball 23 is held in position by the arcuate groove 25. Guided by contact.

Now, the lower end of the vertical shaft 5 is the center of rotation,
A second rocking motion in a direction perpendicular to the first rocking motion, that is, a horizontal rocking motion perpendicular to the vertical rocking motion can be performed. Further, enlarged recesses 27a, b, and c for positioning are provided at the center and both ends of this arcuate groove 25 as positioning means.

A guide member 29 in which such an arcuate groove 25 with an enlarged recess 27 is carved is mounted below the case 13. The shift lever 3, the vertical shaft 5, the rectangular cylinder 7, the horizontal shaft 9, and the pivot pin 11
etc. constitute the shift operation mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 3, a horizontal shaft 9 is disposed in the rectangular cylinder 7 so as to pass through the vertical shaft 5 at right angles, and the horizontal shaft 9 is connected to the rectangular cylinder 7 by a pin 11. A short bush 51 is pivotally supported at the pivot point, and as shown in FIG. 1, bushes 53a and 53b are also provided at the left and right side wall penetrating portions of the horizontal shaft 9 and the bracket 13.

Coil springs 51a and 51b are interposed between the bushes 51 and 53a, and between the bushes 51 and 53b, with horizontal shafts 9 inserted, respectively.

The free lengths of the coil springs 55a and 55b allow the bushes 51 to be
The distance between the bushes 55a and 55b is slightly longer than the distance between the bushes at the center position with respect to the coil springs 55a and 55b, so the coil springs 55a and 55b are installed in a slightly compressed state.

With the above configuration, with the left and right swinging of the shift lever 3, that is, the second swinging of the vertical shaft 5,
The horizontal shaft 9 slides left and right in the axial direction.
In this second swing, the height of the vertical shaft 5 does not change because it is regulated by the inner diameters of the bushes 53a and 53b. Furthermore, when the shift lever 3 slides in the left-right direction, it swings using the check ball 23 at the lower end as a swing reference point, so the distance from the check ball 23 to the through pin 11 that pivots the horizontal shaft 9 is the same as that of the vertical shaft. 5 changes as the check ball 2 swings.
3 is absorbed by the spring that energizes it. For this reason, the check ball 29 is configured to be able to move up and down within the arcuate groove 25 serving as a positioning means, thereby maintaining a swinging fulcrum.

The shift lever return structure of the present invention is configured as described above and operates as follows.

When the shift lever 3 is moved, for example, to the right as shown in FIG. 1, the vertical shaft 5 tilts to the right about the check ball 23, and the horizontal shaft 9 slides to the right in the axial direction.

Here, the horizontal shaft 9 moves in an axial direction that is a fraction of the amount of rocking of the shift lever 3, and in the horizontal positioning device 21, the check ball mechanism 19 fits into a predetermined annular groove 17 and is positioned. Ru.

As the horizontal shaft 9 moves, the left side coil spring 5 inserted into the horizontal shaft 9
5b is compressed, and the coil spring 55a on the opposite side is expanded.

As the coil spring 55b contracts, the repulsive force increases, and a biasing force is exerted in the direction of returning the shift lever 3 to the neutral position.

However, the repulsive force is adjusted so that the shift lever 3 does not return to the neutral position solely due to the repulsive force of the spring 55b. In other words, when the driver returns the shift lever 3 to the neutral position, the shift lever 3 is only biased so that the shift lever 3 can be operated lightly.

This is caused by an impact while driving the vehicle at a certain shift position.
This is to prevent the shift lever from automatically returning to the neutral position due to vibration or the like.

The shift lever return structure of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but can be modified in various ways. For example, instead of a coil spring inserted into the horizontal shaft, a leaf spring may be used to change the mounting space, spring constant, etc.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above explanation, according to the shift lever return structure of the present invention, the movement of the biasing spring in the return direction in the case of return operation is simplified, so that the shift lever return structure of the present invention is extremely effective. It is easy to set, and once installed, it always works stably, and the spring force does not fluctuate over a long period of time, so there is almost no need for inspection or adjustment, making shifting operations easier and effective for safe driving. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side vertical sectional view of an embodiment of a device using the shift lever return structure of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a partially cutaway front view explanatory view of the same, and Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts. It is a diagram. Explanation of main drawing symbols, 1...Shift device, 3
...Shift lever (shift operation mechanism), 5...Vertical shaft (shift operation mechanism), 7...Square cylinder (shift operation mechanism), 9...Horizontal shaft (shift operation mechanism), 11...Pin (shift operating mechanism), 23...
... Check ball (positioning means), 25 ... Arc groove (positioning means), 27a, b, c ... Enlarged recess (positioning means), 29 ... Guide member, 5
5a, b...Coil spring (spring).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A vertical shaft connected to the lower part of the shift lever is provided, and a first swinging movement is made with the middle part of the vertical shaft as the center of rotation, and a swinging movement is perpendicular to the first swinging part with the bottom end of the vertical shaft being the turning center. a shift operation mechanism that performs a shift operation by performing a second swing in the direction;
a guide member having a positioning means for holding and positioning the lower end portion by contacting the lower end member of the first and second vertical shafts during each swing; and a guide member provided at the center of rotation of the first swing. , a horizontal shaft that is pivotally supported by the vertical shaft via a cylindrical body and supported by left and right fixing members so as to be movable in the axial direction by the second rocking motion; A return structure for a shift lever, comprising left and right springs that are separated into left and right parts at a pivot point with a shaft and are interposed between the left and right fixing members in an elastically retained state.