JPH0356107Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a shift lever position adjustment device for adjusting the shift lever position of an automobile according to the physique and preference of the driver.

(Prior art) This type of shift lever position adjustment device is as follows:
Various types of shift levers have been proposed so far, but most of them are configured so that only the position of the shift lever is adjusted according to the physique of the driver. However, there is a significant relationship between the shift lever position and the driver's seat position. Therefore, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 58-130841, for example, the shift lever device supporting the shift lever and the seat are integrally connected, so that the position of the shift lever can be adjusted at the same time as the adjustment of the seat. There is one configured in

(Problem to be solved by the invention) Even in the structure in which the shift lever position is adjusted at the same time as the seat position adjustment described above, the relative position between the seat and the shift lever remains in the preset relationship. . Therefore, it is impossible to finely adjust the shift lever position according to the seat position, or to adjust only the shift lever position according to the physique or driving posture of the driver. It was difficult to adjust the shift lever to the optimum position.

(Means for solving the problems) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is configured as follows. First, the shift lever device is attached to the vehicle body so as to be rotatable in a direction in which the shift lever is displaced back and forth. A motor that provides rotational force to this shift lever device, a shift lever position sensor that detects the rotational position of the shift lever device, and a seat position sensor that detects the front and rear positions of the seat are operated by the driver. and a control circuit that receives electrical signals from both of these sensors and the adjustment switch.

The above control circuit is configured to be able to calculate a target rotational position of the shift lever device in accordance with the seat position detected by the seat position sensor. Furthermore, this control circuit is operated by comparing the target rotational position of the shift lever device calculated as described above with the current rotational position of the shift lever detected by the shift lever position sensor, or The output signal for the motor is generated by an electric signal from the adjustment switch.

(Operations and Effects of the Invention) According to the above configuration, when the driver adjusts the seat position, this is detected by the seat position sensor, and an electric signal based on this is sent to the control circuit. Thereby, the control circuit calculates a target rotational position of the shift lever device corresponding to the seat position. Further, the control circuit compares the target rotational position with the current rotational position of the shift lever device detected by the shift lever position sensor, and determines whether to adjust the position of the shift lever device or not. If adjustment is to be made, it is determined in which direction the adjustment should be made, and an output signal based on this is sent to the motor. This causes the motor to rotate and rotate the shift lever device by a predetermined amount of rotation, thereby adjusting the shift lever position corresponding to the seat position.

If the driver operates the adjustment switch according to his/her preference, the electric signal is sent to the control circuit, and the shift lever device is rotated by the drive of the motor in the same way as above, and the shift lever is rotated. The position is adjusted.

In this way, the present invention allows the position of the shift lever to be adjusted steplessly by rotating the motor based on the electric signal from the control circuit in relation to the seat position. It has the advantage of being able to be adjusted to the optimal position according to your preferences.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows an outline of the shift lever position adjustment device, and Figure 2 shows an enlarged cross-section of the main parts of Figure 1.
In the figure, a shift lever device 3 is equipped with a shift lever 4 that can be operated for shift and selection as is generally well known. This shift lever device 3 is attached to, for example, a part of a console box 2 on the side of the vehicle body 1 by means of a hinge 7 so that the knob 5 of the shift lever 4 can be rotated in a direction in which the knob 5 of the shift lever 4 is displaced back and forth in the vehicle. . Further, from this shift lever device 3, the shift lever 4 is connected to the shift lever device 3.
A push-pull cable 6 extends that transmits shift and select operations to a transmission (not shown).

As is clear from FIG. 2, a bolt 9 is provided on the opposite side of the hinge 7 in the shift lever device 3.
The lower end of is attached by a pivot pin 8.
On the other hand, a holder 11 is attached to a pin 12 on a blanket 10 fixed to a console box 2 of a vehicle body 1.
It is mounted to allow some rotation. A nut 13 having a flange 13a at its upper end is inserted into the through hole 11a of the holder 11 so as to be rotatable about its axis. The lower end of the nut 13 projects outward from the lower end of the holder 11, and a snap ring 19 is fixed to this portion via a spacer 18. This prevents the nut 13 from coming off from the holder 11. Further, the bolt 9 described above is screwed into this nut 13.

In the above blanket 10, the holder 1
A reversible motor 14 is fixed to a portion located above 1. The drive shaft 15 of this reversible motor 14
is coupled to the flange 13a of the nut 13 by a bolt so that rotation can be transmitted. Therefore, the rotation of the motor 14 causes the nut 13 to rotate within the through hole 11a of the holder 11, and depending on the direction of rotation, the bolt 9 screwed into the nut 13 moves upward or downward. do.

As the bolt 9 moves up and down, the shift lever device 3 moves against the console box 2 on the vehicle body 1 side.
It rotates around the hinge 7. As a result,
The knob 5 of the shift lever 4 is displaced in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. In other words, the position of the shift lever 4 is adjusted by rotating the shift lever device 3.

The motor 14 is located on the lower surface of the portion of the bracket 10 where the reversible motor 14 is fixed.
A sensor 20, exemplified by a potentiometer, is fixed to detect the amount of rotation of the drive shaft 15. Detecting the amount of rotation of the drive shaft 15
As a result, the rotational position of the shift lever device 3 is detected, and the sensor 20 serves as a shift lever position sensor.

On the other hand, in FIG. 1, a seat position sensor 21 is fixed to the underside of the driver's seat 16 on the side of the vehicle body 1, and a sensor lever 21a slidably contacts the seat position sensor 21 on the underside of the seat 16. is fixed. Therefore, the seat position sensor 21 can detect the adjusted position of the driver's seat 16. Further, in FIG. 1, an adjustment switch 22 that can be operated by the driver is provided near the seat 16. Further, the control circuit 30 in FIG. 1 receives electrical signals from the shift lever position sensor 20, seat position sensor 21, and adjustment switch 22, and generates an output signal to the reversible motor 14 based on the electrical signals. Function.

Next, the above control circuit 30 will be explained with reference to FIG. First, this control circuit 30 includes an analog/digital converter 31 that converts an analog signal from the shift lever position sensor 20 into a digital signal, and an analog/digital converter 31 that converts an analog signal from the seat position sensor 21 into a digital signal. The target rotational position of the shift lever device 3, that is, the target position of the shift lever 4, is calculated based on the electrical signals from the converter 32 and both of these analog-to-digital converters 31 and 32, or the electrical signal from the adjustment switch 22. A microcomputer 35 outputs an electric signal based on the electric signal to the reversible motor 14, and a digital-to-analog converter 33 converts the digital signal sent from the microcomputer 35 to the reversible motor 14 into an analog signal. .

The microcomputer 35 described above includes a read-only memory (ROM) 35a that stores a program corresponding to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, and a central processing unit (CPU) that executes this program.
35b and a writable memory (RAM) 35c that temporarily stores variables necessary for this program.
and each of the analog-to-digital converters 31,
32 and an input/output interface 35 that inputs electrical signals from the adjustment switch 22 and sends a predetermined output signal to the digital-to-analog converter 33.
d, and a bus 35e that commonly connects the read-only memory 35a, central processing unit 35b, writable memory 35c, and input/output interface 35d.

Next, the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 will be explained. First, when the ignition switch (not shown) is turned on to drive the engine, the central processing unit 3 of the microcomputer 35 mentioned above
5b starts execution of the program. Therefore, at step 100 in FIG.
6 position (SEPO) is stored in the writable memory 35c.

Subsequently, in step 101 of FIG. 4, it is determined whether the adjustment switch 22 is ON or not. If the adjustment switch 22 is OFF, the central processing unit 35b makes a negative determination and outputs a stop signal to the reversible motor 14 in step 102. Next, in step 103, the current position (SEP) of the sheet 16 is read in the same manner as in the previous case and stored in the writable memory 35c. Then, in step 104, it is determined whether the previous read sheet position (SEPO) and the current read sheet position (SEP) are equal. In other words, if the sheet 16 has been adjusted to move and the previous read sheet position (SEPO) and the current read sheet position (SEP) are not equal, step 104 is performed.
If the answer is NO, the process proceeds to the next step 105. In this step 105, the current read sheet position (SEP) is changed to the previous read sheet position (SEPO).
is stored in the writable memory 35c.

The shift lever target position (SFPM) corresponding to the new seat position (SEPO) stored in step 105 as described above is transferred to the next step 106.
Calculate by. Next, in step 107, the current position of the shift lever 4 (SFP) is read, and in step 108, it is determined whether the above shift lever target position (SFPM) and the current shift lever position (SFP) are equal. do. If they are not equal, it is determined NO, and in the next step 109, the direction of adjustment operation of the shift lever 4 is determined. If the direction of this adjustment is towards the front of the vehicle,
It is determined as YES, and a forward signal is output in the next step 111. If the adjustment direction of the shift lever 4 is toward the rear of the vehicle, in step 109
If the answer is NO, a backward signal is output at step 110. These signals drive the reversible motor 14 to rotate in a predetermined direction.

After the processing of steps 110 and 111 described above, the program returns to step 107 again and repeats the cycle from step 107 to step 110 or step 111 until the shift lever position (SFP) becomes equal to its target position (SFPO). continue. When the shift lever position (SFP) becomes equal to its target position (SFPO), a YES determination is made in step 108, and the program proceeds to step 112. In step 112, a stop signal is output to the reversible motor 14 to stop the motor 14, and the process returns to step 101 to continue the circulation process.

Further, when the adjustment switch 22 is ON, it is determined as YES in the step 101,
In the next step 113, the direction of adjustment movement of the shift lever 4 is determined. As a result, if the adjustment direction is toward the front of the vehicle, the determination is YES, and a forward drive signal is output to the reversible motor 14 in step 115. In addition, if the adjustment direction of the shift lever 4 is toward the rear of the vehicle, step 1 is performed.
At step 13, the answer is NO, and at step 114, a backward drive signal is output to the motor 14.
After processing steps 114 and 115,
The program returns to step 101 and continues the cycle until the adjustment switch 22 is turned off.

Note that if the previous read sheet position (SEPO) and the current read sheet position (SEP) are equal in step 104, this step 104
If the answer is YES, the program returns to step 101 and continues the circular process.

In the shift lever position adjustment device configured as described above, when the driver adjusts the position by sliding the seat 16 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle according to the driver's physique and preference, the seat position will be adjusted as described above. The signal is sent from the seat position sensor 21 to the aforementioned control circuit 30 as an electrical signal. This control circuit 30 calculates the target position of the shift lever 4 corresponding to the adjusted position of the seat 16 according to the program described above, and
Outputs a drive signal to. When the motor 14 is driven in a predetermined rotational direction, the nut 13 connected to the drive shaft 15 rotates, and the bolt 9 screwed into the nut 13 is rotated in either the upper or lower direction as shown in FIG. move in that direction. As a result, the shift lever device 3 rotates about the hinge 7 with respect to the console box 2 on the vehicle body 1 side,
The shift lever 4 is then adjusted to the target position calculated by the control circuit 30, and the driving of the motor 14 is also stopped at that position.

Note that the target adjustment position of the shift lever 4 calculated by the control circuit 30 according to the adjustment position of the seat 16 is a general adjustment position corresponding to the body shape of the driver. Therefore, depending on the driver's preference, driving posture, etc., there may be a difference between the target position of the shift lever 4 calculated by the control circuit 30 and the position of the shift lever 4 requested by the driver. In this case, by operating the adjustment switch 22, the driver can finely adjust the position of the shift lever 4 to an arbitrary position according to the program described above.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the outline of the shift lever position adjustment device, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged main part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a control circuit diagram of the shift lever position adjustment device. 5 is a flowchart of the microcomputer shown in FIG. 4. 1...Vehicle body, 3...Shift lever device, 4...
Shift lever, 14... Reversible motor, 16... Seat, 20... Shift lever position sensor,
21... Seat position sensor, 22... Adjustment switch, 30... Control circuit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A shift lever position adjusting device is a shift lever position adjusting device that is configured by attaching a shift lever device to a vehicle body so that the shift lever device can be rotated in a direction in which the shift lever is displaced back and forth. a shift lever position sensor that detects the rotational position of the driver's seat, a seat position sensor that detects the longitudinal position of the driver's seat, and an adjustment switch that is arbitrarily operated by the driver;
It is equipped with a control circuit that receives electric signals from both of these sensors and an adjustment switch, and this control circuit determines the target rotational position of the shift lever device in accordance with the seat position detected by the seat position sensor. Based on a comparison between this target rotational position and the current rotational position of the shift lever device detected by the seat position sensor, or based on an electrical signal from the adjustment switch, the rotational position for the motor is calculated. A shift lever position adjustment device configured to generate an output signal.