JPH0631533Y2 - Gear position sensor for transmission - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention a. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gear position sensor for an automobile transmission, and more particularly to a non-contact type gear position sensor using a plurality of sensor elements each including a light emitting diode and a phototransistor.

b. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventional technology and its problems In a transmission operating device for remotely operating an automobile transmission by an actuator or an electronically controlled automatic transmission, it is necessary to check the gear position of the transmission and control the actuators. A gear position sensor is provided.
FIG. 4 shows a conventional transmission operating position,
Two so-called contact type gear position sensors 1 and 2 are used in this device. One gear position sensor 1 is arranged near the end of the select rod 4 of the select actuator 3, and the other gear position sensor 2 is arranged near the end of the shift rod 6 of the shift actuator 5. Each of the gear position sensors 1 and 2 comprises three limit switches 1a and 2a. When the change lever 7 is operated to move the select rod 4 or the shift rod 6 to a predetermined position, one of the limit switches 1a and 2a The flange-shaped ends 4a and 6a of the valves 4 and 6 are pressed to turn on, and this signal is input to the controller 8 to detect the gear position of the transmission 9.

In FIG. 4, 10 is an air tank, 11 to 14 are solenoid valves,
Reference numeral 15 is an indicator lamp, and 16 is an abnormality alarm.

The conventional gear position sensors 1 and 2 are configured as described above, but since the gear position sensors 1 and 2 are contact type, there is a problem in reliability and durability against chattering and dirt of the limit switches 1a and 2a. There is.

Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, a non-contact type gear position sensor 22 as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 has been proposed (Shokai 59-116659). The gear position sensor 22 includes a rod 24 attached to the end of the shift / select shaft 23 and a magnet provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rod 24.
25, a shaft cover 26 surrounding the rod 24, and a magnetic sensor 27 arranged on the inner peripheral surface of the shaft cover 26. When the change lever is operated, the shift / select shaft 23 slides / rotates to shift or select gears of the transmission. At this time, the sliding / rotating position of the shift / select shaft 23 is detected by the magnetic sensor 27.
The detection signal is transmitted to the output terminal 29 through the amplifier circuit 28.

Since the gear position sensor 22 described above is a non-contact type, it is excellent in durability and the like. However, since the position of the magnet 25 is detected by the magnetic sensor 27, the rod 24 to which this magnet is mounted must be made of a non-magnetic material such as plastic, which is separate from the shift / select shaft 23. A bolt 30 for attaching the rod 24 to the end of the shift / select shaft 23 is also required.

c. Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been devised in order to effectively solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a non-magnetic member with a magnet on a gear operating rod that slides in conjunction with the operation of a change lever. It is an object of the present invention to provide a gear position sensor for a transmission that can detect the gear position of the transmission without attaching a body rod. The gist of the sensor is a shift driven based on a change lever operation signal. In a transmission operating device in which an end portion of an operation rod is covered with a shaft cover, a surface of the shaft cover that opposes the end portion of the shift operation rod is opposed, and a light emitting diode is provided along a moving direction of the rod. Four sets of sensor elements consisting of phototransistors are arranged at almost equal intervals, and the high and low of the voltage in each phototransistor of those sensor elements are detected. The displacement of the rod end is detected based on the combination of the detected values, and the shift completion state of one stage, the shift complete state to the neutral state, the neutral state, and the shift completion of the other stage from the neutral state are detected. A gear position sensor for a transmission, characterized by comprising a controller for judging any one of the shift operation states of the other stage shift completion state until the state.

d. Means for Solving the Problems One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The gear position sensor 33 shown in FIG. 1 is applied to the transmission operating device shown in FIG. 4, and in FIG. 1, 34 is a shift rod, 35 is a shaft cover, and 36a to 36d are plural (see FIG. 1). 4) sensor elements, and 37 is a shift fork. A similar gear position sensor is attached to the select rod (not shown). Each sensor element 36a
˜36d is composed of a light emitting diode 38 and a phototransistor 39. The light emitting diode 38 and the phototransistor 39 are arranged along the axial direction on the inner peripheral surface of the shaft cover 35, and two sensor elements 36a on the left and right sides are provided. 36d detects that the gears of the transmission are completely closed, and two intermediate sensor elements 36b and 36c detect the neutral and shifting states of the gears. An amplifier circuit 40 is attached to the outside of the shaft cover 35, and each sensor element 36
The signal from the phototransistor 39 of a to 36d is the amplifier circuit.
After being amplified by 40, the controller 41 shown in FIG.
To be sent to.

e. The gear position sensor 33 is configured as described above, and when the shift rod 34 slides and the light of the light emitting diode 38 is blocked based on the operation signal by the shift operation of the change lever, the output voltage of the phototransistor 39 changes. Since the low voltage changes to the high voltage, the sliding position of the shift rod 34 can be detected.

FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the sliding position of the shift rod 34 and the output voltage of the phototransistor 39 of each of the sensor elements 36a to 36d, in which L indicates a low voltage and H indicates a high voltage. . After these voltages are amplified by the amplifier circuit, they are calculated by the calculation unit of the controller 41 to confirm the sliding position of the shift rod 34, that is, the transmission gear position.

As is clear from FIG. 3, in the gear position sensor 33, the gear meshing state is, for example, between neutral and the first speed based on all the signals of the sensor elements 36a, 36b, 36c, 36d. Alternatively, it can be determined whether the vehicle is in a state between neutral and second gear.

Although the output voltage of the phototransistor 39 is low when the light of the light emitting diode 38 hits the phototransistor 39 in the above embodiment, the output voltage is high when the light hits. It is also possible to configure so that it becomes a voltage.

f. Effect of the Invention As described above, the present invention uses the combination of the light emitting diode and the phototransistor as the sensor element. Therefore, it is not necessary to attach a magnet or a non-magnetic rod to the shift rod, and the structure of the gear position sensor is simple. And cost reduction. Further, since the shift rod itself is used as a part of the sensor, there is an effect that it can be greatly shortened in comparison with the axial lengthening of the conventional mechanism.

Furthermore, the present invention is based on how many of the sensors detect light,
Since the position is confirmed, the position can be confirmed very easily,
Moreover, the intermediate position can be detected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a gear position sensor, and FIG. 2 is a circuit of the gear position sensor. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the gear position sensor. Further, FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional transmission operating device and a gear position sensor, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are vertical sectional views of a conventional non-contact type gear position sensor. 33 …… Gear position sensor, 34 …… Shift rod, 35 …… Shaft cover, 36 …… Sensor element, 38 …… Light emitting diode, 39 …… Phototransistor, 40 …… Amplifying circuit, 41 …… Controller,

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a transmission operating device in which an end of a shift operating rod driven based on an operation signal of a change lever is covered with a shaft cover, the transmission covers are opposed to each other with the end of the shift operating rod of the shaft cover interposed therebetween. On the surface, along with the moving direction of the rod, four sets of sensor elements consisting of a light emitting diode and a phototransistor are arranged at substantially equal intervals, and the voltage level of each phototransistor of these sensor elements is controlled. Detecting the displacement of the rod end based on the combination of the detected values, the shift completion state of one stage, from the shift completion state to the neutral state, the neutral state, and the other stage from the neutral state. Up to the shift completed state of the other, equipped with a controller that determines the shift operation state of the shift completed state of the other stage The gear position sensor of the transmission, characterized and.