JPH08207611A - Intermediate lock device for control cable - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide intensive locking force and to compactify a solenoid by carrying out a locking action by means of engagement between an operation piece and a lock member arranged along a cable and moving the operation piece for switching engagement/release by means of attracting force of the solenoid and energizing force of a return spring. CONSTITUTION: An intermediate lock device A is constructed of a pair of case half bodies 4a, 4b which are connected mutually in the center so as to constitute a single case 4, a core 5 stored in the case 4, a solenoid 8 which is arranged inside a core 5 and consists of a hollow bobbin 6 and a coil 7, an operation piece 9 which is stored in the bobbin 6 freely slidably and is fixed in an inner cable 2, and a plate spring 10 which is arranged between the operation piece 9 and the inside face of the bobbin 6 and serves as a return spring. In this way, an attracting part 20 in the operation piece 9 is attracted to a lower end 13 of the core 5 against energizing force of the plate spring 10 when electric power is supplied to the coil 7, and an engagement stepped part 14 is engaged with the lower end 13 of the core 5, and as a result, the inner cable 2 is captured, so that compactification of the solenoid 8 can be carried out.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an intermediate lock device for a control cable and an interlock device for an automobile using the same. More specifically, it is installed in the middle of the control cable for interlock that is interposed between the shift lock device of the shift lever for automatic transmission and the key lock device of the ignition key to lock the operation of the cable by an electric signal. The present invention relates to an electromagnetically driven intermediate lock device that releases or releases the lock.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a shift lock mechanism for locking and unlocking a shift lever of an automatic transmission of an automobile at a parking position and a key for locking and unlocking an ignition key at a locked position. To prevent sudden start when the engine starts, the lock mechanism is connected with a control cable to prevent the engine from starting unless the shift lever is locked in the parking position.The shift lever must be locked after the engine has started. A shift interlock device that cannot be released is used. This one usually realizes a key interlock device that prevents the key from being removed except at the parking position.

Further, in order to make the shift interlock action safer, an interlock device has been adopted in which the shift lock cannot be released unless the brake pedal is depressed. Such a pedal-based interlock includes a push-pull control cable provided with a second lock mechanism that interferes with unlocking of the shift lever with respect to the shift lock mechanism, and the second lock mechanism is provided between the shift lock mechanism and the brake pedal. It is possible to realize it by releasing it with or by an electromagnetic drive device controlled by an operation signal of the brake pedal. However, the structure in which the second lock mechanism or the electromagnetic drive device is provided near the shift lock mechanism or the interlock terminal from the brake pedal is connected complicates the configuration around the shift lock mechanism.

Therefore, recently, in order to simplify the vicinity of the shift lock mechanism, a stopper is provided at an intermediate portion of the cable and the stopper is locked by a control cable which works in conjunction with a brake pedal (see Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-33374). ), Or an electric actuator or the like operated by a brake pedal.
Japanese Patent No. 257631, USP-5076114) is proposed.

[0005]

The structure in which a stopper is provided at the intermediate portion of the interlock cable and the cable from the brake pedal is connected to the stopper is not preferable because two control cables are complicated. In the electrically driven device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-257631, a lock block having an engaging recess is interposed in the middle of an interlock cable, and a lock claw movable in a direction perpendicular to the lock block is provided. Drive the end with an electric actuator such as a solenoid or motor,
Since the lock claw and the engagement recess are engaged and disengaged, a relatively large member having an overall T shape is provided in the middle of the cable, which is not preferable.

In USP-5076114, a disk-shaped core is concentrically fixed to a cable, and the core is adsorbed by an electromagnet also arranged concentrically to lock the cable. Therefore, a large electromagnet is required. Therefore, there is a problem that the power consumption becomes large and the calorific value becomes large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an intermediate lock device for a control cable in which the size of a member attached to the cable is small and the power consumption is low, and an interlock device for an automobile using the same.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An intermediate locking device of the present invention is an electromagnetically driven intermediate locking device for locking the movement of a control cable, which is a plate-shaped magnetic material arranged along the cable. An operating piece, and a locking member arranged along the cable in the vicinity of the operating piece for engaging the operating piece to prevent movement of the cable,
An electromagnet that attracts the operating piece in a direction in which the operating piece and the lock member are engaged or separated from each other, and a return spring that urges the operating piece in the opposite direction, and one of the operating piece and the lock member is provided. It is characterized in that it is connected to the middle part of the cable and the other is connected to the stationary element. Either one of the actuating piece and the lock member may be connected between the end of the cable and another movable element.

In such a device, the operating piece is connected to the cable, and the lock member is provided on the electromagnet so as to surround the operating piece and the cable.
A bobbin and a coil of the electromagnet may be arranged, and a U-shaped core for adsorbing the front and rear ends of the operating piece may be arranged outside the bobbin and the coil. In this, when the operating piece is in the position to be locked,
The operating piece and the lock member are arranged such that one end of the core is close to the engaging portion provided on the distal end side of the operating piece, and the other end of the core is magnetically continuous with the base end of the operating piece. Good.
In that case, one end of the core may constitute a lock member so that when the operating piece is adsorbed to the core, the engaging portion of the operating piece engages with one end of the core. It is also possible to dispose a separate locking member on the opposite side of the core so that the engagement between the operating piece and the locking member is released when the operating piece is attracted to the core.

Further, the lock member is composed of a non-magnetic connecting member which is interposed in the middle of the cable and connects the cables on both sides, and the coil and the bobbin of the electromagnet are arranged on one side of the connecting member. The actuating piece can be provided on the other side. In that case, the electromagnet includes a core that passes through both sides of the connecting member and faces the operating piece, and the base of the operating piece is rotatably locked to the core, and the free end of the operating piece is close to the core. It is preferable that the engaging portion is provided on the connecting member, and an engaging hole is formed in the connecting member as an engaged portion, and a protrusion that engages with the engaging hole is formed on the operating piece. Are preferably provided. Further, the projection is an engagement pin that is provided so as to be retractable in a through hole formed in the actuating piece, and the engagement pin is biased by a spring so as to project toward the coupling member, and the return The base of the spring is fixed to the base of the actuating piece to urge the actuating piece so that its tip end side is separated from the connecting member, and the spring for urging the engaging pin is constituted by the free end of the return spring. It can be

An interlock device for an automobile according to the present invention includes a shift lock device for a shift lever for an automatic transmission,
Ignition key key lock device, control cable for interlock connected between them, any of the electromagnetic drive type intermediate lock device provided in the middle of the control cable, and by depressing the brake pedal, It is composed of a switch for controlling engagement / disengagement of the engagement part and the lock member by the electromagnet.

[0012]

The intermediate lock device according to the present invention can be applied to both the lock and the lock release when the electromagnet is energized. In the former case, when the coil of the electromagnet is not energized, the operating piece is biased by the return spring and does not engage with the lock member, so that the cable can be operated freely. When the coil of the electromagnet is energized, the operating piece is attracted to the electromagnet against the urging force of the return spring, engages with the lock member, and the operation of the cable is restricted. According to the present invention, since the engaging piece is arranged along the cable, it is possible to reduce the overall size of the lock mechanism while maintaining the attraction force (operating force) of the electromagnet.

Further, the force for locking the cable is obtained not by the attraction force of the electromagnet itself but by the engagement between the operating piece and the lock member, and the electromagnet provides an operating force for operating the operating piece against the biasing force of the return spring. Just give. Therefore, the power consumption is low and the heat generation is low. Note that the one that unlocks when energized has the same effect as above,
Moreover, it has the advantage of high safety in the event of a power failure.

In the one in which the lock member is the core of the electromagnet, the operating piece and the lock member form a closed magnetic path in the locked position, leaving a slight gap between the engaging portion and the engaged portion. Therefore, the suction power is large. In addition, since the magnetic path is open at positions other than the lock position, even if the electromagnet is excited at that position, the attracting force is extremely weak and does not affect the cable operation. In addition, the electromagnetic coil surrounding the actuating piece and the cable can be made more compact as a whole.

On the other hand, in the above-mentioned actuating piece as a connecting member, since the actuating piece and the electromagnet are arranged with the connecting member interposed, the overall structure can be made more compact. Further, the one in which the core of the electromagnet is opposed to the operating piece through both sides of the connecting member, and the base of the operating piece is swingably locked to the core, the movement of the operating piece is stable, and the attraction force is high. large.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, embodiments of an intermediate lock device and an interlock device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of an intermediate locking device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the device of FIG. 1 before assembling, and FIGS.
FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway side view showing another embodiment of the intermediate locking device of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an essential part of the device of FIG. 4 before assembly, and FIGS. Figure, Figure 7a
8B are longitudinal sectional views showing still another embodiment of the intermediate locking device of the present invention and a partially cutaway side view of the operating state thereof, FIG. 8 is a perspective view before assembly thereof, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view, and FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automobile interlock device of the present invention.

The intermediate locking device A shown in FIG.
Control cable 3 consisting of a, 1b and inner cable 2
Is intervened in the middle of. The control cable 3 may be a pull cable or a push pull cable.
The intermediate locking device A is a set of case halves 4a and 4b which are joined at the center to form a case 4, a core 5 accommodated therein, and a hollow bobbin 6 provided in the core 5. And an electromagnet 8 composed of a coil 7, an operating piece 9 slidably accommodated in the bobbin 6 and fixed to the inner cable 2, and a return interposed between the operating piece 9 and the inner surface of the bobbin 6. It is composed of a leaf spring 10 as a spring.

The vicinity of the opening of one half (left side in FIG. 1) 4a of the pair of case halves 4a, 4b is fitted into the opening of the other half 4b, and one of the two is formed. Two tongue pieces 11 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) protrude from the open end of the half body 4a of the half body 4a, and the hooking claw 1 at the tip of the tongue piece 11
1a is engaged with the hole 12 of the other half 4b from the inside. At the rear end of each of the case halves 4a and 4b, there is provided a tubular portion that fits and supports the ends of the conduits 1a and 1b. In addition, a set of half bodies 4 with the case 4 separated at the center
The reason for setting a and 4b is to finally join the cases after assembling the internal structure.

As shown in FIG. 2, the core 5 is made of a plate made of a magnetic material bent in a U-shape, and one of the bent portions 5a is long and is used for passing the inner cord 2 at a position below the center thereof. The hole 5b is formed. The other bent portion 5c is shortened, and the lower end 13 of the bent portion 5c has an engagement step portion 1 of the operating piece 9.
4 is an engaged portion that engages with 4. That is, in this embodiment, the core 5 constitutes the lock member according to claim 1.

The bobbin 6 has a square tube-shaped central portion 16 having a cavity 15 and flange portions 17, 17 provided at both ends thereof.
Is an integrally molded product made of synthetic resin. A step portion 18 for hooking one end of the leaf spring 10 is provided on the upper portion of the inner surface of the cavity 15. The other end of the leaf spring 10 engages with the inner surface of the lower end 13 of the other bent portion 5c of the core 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, the operating piece 9 comprises a main body 19 slidably accommodated in the cavity 15 of the bobbin 6, and a wide suction portion 20 provided at the tip thereof. The suction portion 20 has the same width as the core 5, and is one step lower than the main body portion 19, so that the tip of the main body portion 19 engages with the lower end 13 of the core which is the engaged portion. Part 1
It is 4. Further, from the middle of the main body portion 19 to the suction portion 2
To 0, the inner cable 2 is used during the adsorption operation (see FIG. 3b).
A slit 22 is formed to avoid interference with the. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the inner cord 2 is passed through a hole 24 that vertically penetrates a base portion 23 of the main body portion 19 having no slit 22 and is fixed to the base portion 23. Note that reference numeral 25 in FIG. 1 is a connection terminal (electrode) for conducting electricity to the electromagnet.

The leaf spring 10 is naturally curved as shown in FIG. 2, and when assembled, the actuating piece 9 is bent.
Is always urged downward so that the engaging portion does not get caught on the engaged portion. Note that, due to the shape of the leaf spring 10 as described above, sliding of the operating piece is smooth.

Next, the operation of the intermediate locking device A constructed as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 3a and 3b. FIG. 3a shows a state in which the coil 7 of the electromagnet is not energized. At this time, the attraction force does not act between the lower end 13 of the bent portion 5c of the core 5 and the attraction portion 20 of the action piece 9, and the action piece 9 Is moving downward as indicated by arrow P by the biasing force of the leaf spring 10. Therefore, the lower end 13 of the bent portion 5c of the core 5 and the engaging stepped portion 14 of the actuating piece 9 do not engage with each other, and the inner cable 2 can be freely operated in the arrow S-T direction. In the present embodiment, the left (arrow S) moving end of the inner cable 2 is the position where the end face of the actuating piece 9 on the base end side abuts the inner surface of the one bent portion 5a of the core 5, and at this time the core 5 The lower end 13 of the other bent portion 5c and the engaging stepped portion 14 of the actuating piece 9 closely oppose each other.

When the coil 7 is energized in this state, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the suction portion 20 of the operating piece 9 is suctioned to the lower end 13 of the core 5 against the urging force of the leaf spring 10 (arrow U), and the engagement step portion 14 engages with the lower end 13 of the core 5. . Therefore, the inner cable 2 is restrained so as not to move in the arrow T direction. At that time, since the base end of the operating piece 9 is in contact with the inner surface of the one bent portion 5a of the core 5, the loop-shaped magnetic path Q formed by the core 5 and the operating piece 9 is closed. A strong adsorption force can be obtained. The operating piece 9 tilts as a whole because the tip side thereof rises as shown by the arrow U, but the inner cord 2 and the operating piece 9 are connected only within the range of the base portion 23, and the other portions are free by the slit 22. Therefore, the inner cable 2 is not tilted greatly. However, since the inclination of the operating piece 9 is slight, fixing the whole to the inner cable 2 does not pose a problem. On the other hand, when the electromagnet is excited while the operating piece 9 is moving in the direction of arrow T as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 3a, the base portion 23 of the operating piece 9 is not in contact with the core 5, and thus the magnetic path Does not close, so strong adsorption does not occur.
Therefore, the operation of the inner cable 2 is easy.

Next, another embodiment of the intermediate locking device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the intermediate locking device B of FIG. 4, not only the conduits 1a and 1b but also the inner lines 2a and 2b
Are also separated from each other on the left and right, and the ends of the inner ropes are connected to each other by the rope end fittings 30, 30 fixed to them and the connecting member 31. The electromagnet 32 is provided below the connecting member 31.
Is arranged so as to intersect the inner cords 2a and 2b, and the actuating piece 33 and the leaf spring 34 are arranged above in a direction along the inner cord.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the connecting member 31 is provided with fork-shaped bent portions 35, 35 at both ends, and the middle portion thereof is bent into claw portions 36, 36, which are relatively narrow. It is a plate material and is made of a non-magnetic material such as brass or austenitic stainless steel. The bent portion 35 and the claw portion 36 form a locking portion that locks the cable end fitting 30 of the inner cable. Further, with such a configuration, the flat middle portion 37 of the connecting member 31 is eccentric with respect to the center lines of the inner cords 2a and 2b, thereby ensuring a large space below the connecting member 31 for accommodating the electromagnet 32. be able to. Further, an engaging hole 38 as an engaged portion to be engaged with the operating piece 33 is formed near one end (left side in FIG. 4) of the connecting member 31. That is, in the present embodiment, the connecting member 31 is the lock member according to claim 1.

In this embodiment, the bobbin of the electromagnet 32 is made of a magnetic material, and the bobbin also serves as the core 39. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, both end plates 40, 4 of the core 39 are
0 is extended to the upper side so that the upper surface of the end plate 40 is at the same height as the upper surface of the connecting member 31 in the assembled state, whereby the upper surface serves as a suction surface for sucking the operating piece 33. Further, a protrusion 41 is projected on the upper surface thereof, and an inclined surface 42 gradually lowering toward the tip is provided on the tip side thereof. Reference numeral 43 in FIG. 4 is a connection terminal for connecting the coil 7 to a power source.

On the other hand, the operating piece 3 made of a magnetic material plate material.
Notch portions 44, 44 that engage with the protrusion 41 of the core 39 are formed on the side edge of the groove 3, and a through hole 45 for fixing the leaf spring 34 is formed in the middle of both notch portions 44. Is forming. Further, the lower surface on the rear side of the cutout portion 44 has a gentle inclined surface 46 so that the operating piece 33 can be inclined as shown in FIG. 5c. Further, a through hole 47 corresponding to the engaging hole 38 of the connecting member 31 is formed on the distal end side of the operating piece 33.

The leaf spring 34 has a rivet pin 48 fixed to the operating piece 33 on the lower surface of the central portion. The rivet pin 48 is fixed to the through hole 45 on the base side of the operating piece 33 by caulking or the like. Further, an engaging pin 49 which is inserted into and retractable from a through hole 47 on the tip side of the actuating piece 33 is fixed to the lower surface of the leaf spring 34 on the tip side. The tip of this engaging pin 49 projects from the lower surface of the operating piece 33 and engages with the engaging hole 38 of the connecting member 31.
Can be engaged with. Further, the rear portion 34a of the leaf spring 34 projects rearward from the actuating piece 33 and is bent so as to be inclined slightly upward.

A protrusion 50 that engages with the rear end surface of the operating piece 33 is provided on the lower surface of the bent portion 34a. Note that in the present embodiment, the engagement pin 4 is attached to the leaf spring 34.
9 is fixed, the assembly is easy. However, in some cases, the engaging pin 49 is separated from the leaf spring 34, and the leaf spring 34 is simply brought into contact with the head 49a of the engaging pin 49. Good. The head 49a is for preventing the engagement pin 49 from falling off the operating piece 33.

The leaf spring 34 has an engaging pin 4 at its tip end side.
9 acts to urge the connecting member 31 toward the connecting member 31, and at the base end side thereof, the base end portion of the operating piece 33 is pressed downward to be pressed against the inclined surface 42 of the upper surface of the core 39. The action of urging the tip end side of 33 in the direction of separating from the connecting member 31 is achieved.

Intermediate lock device B constructed as described above
When the coil 7 of the electromagnet 32 is energized,
As shown in a, the operating piece 33 is adsorbed on the upper surface of the core 39. Then, the engagement pin 49 is pressed downward by the urging force of the leaf spring 34. However, in FIG.
Is closer to the left side (direction of arrow T), the engagement pin 49
Is in contact with the upper surface of the connecting member 31. When the inner cords 2a, 2b are operated in the direction of the arrow S from this state, when the connecting member 31 comes to the right side as shown in FIG.
9 is fitted in the engagement hole 38 as shown by an arrow U, and the operation of the inner cable 2 is locked.

Then, when the energization of the electromagnet 32 is stopped, the base end portion of the operating piece 33 is pressed in the direction of arrow N by the urging force of the leaf spring 34, and the tip end side thereof is lifted in the direction of arrow M. Therefore, the engagement pin 49 and the leaf spring 34 are pushed up and the lock is released. In this state, the inner cords 4a, 4b
Can be operated in either left or right direction. When the electromagnet 32 is energized while the inner cords 4a, 4b are being operated in the direction of the arrow S, the engagement pin 49 immediately fits into the engagement hole 38 without going through the state of FIG. It becomes a state.

In the above-described embodiment, the lock is performed when the power is supplied, that is, when the electromagnet is excited, and the lock is released when the power is not supplied. However, conversely, the lock is released when the power is supplied and the lock is released when the power is not supplied. You can also choose to do so. Figures 7-9 show an embodiment of such an intermediate locking device. The basic configuration of the locking device C shown in FIG. 7a is almost the same as the intermediate locking device A of FIG. That is, the entire locking device C is composed of a case 4 composed of two case-shaped half bodies 4a and 4b each having a bottomed prism shape as shown in FIG. 8, a core 5, an electromagnet 8 and an operating piece 9 housed therein. .

The case halves are one case half 4a.
By locking the hooking claw 11a of the tongue piece 11 protruding rearward of the tongue to the rear rectangular hole 12 of the other half 4b,
It can be integrated as in Figure 7b. In this embodiment, a guide groove 4c for slidably guiding the operating piece 9 is provided on the right half 4b of FIG. 7a. Further, the lower rear portion of the half body 4b is a lead wire retainer 4d which is a separate component that can be attached to the half body 4b from below. The lead wire retainer 4d is for sandwiching the lead wire 52 together with the rib 51 provided on the half body 4b. Further, the control cable 3 is separated in the middle thereof, and the end portion of the conduit 3 is separated from each case half 4 as shown in FIG. 7a.
The ends of the inner cable 2 are connected to both ends of the actuating piece 9.

The core 5 has a rear end portion 5d as shown in FIG.
Is substantially the same as that of FIG. 1 except that it is folded back to the rear and that a square hole 53 through which the operating piece 9 passes is formed at the front end. In the present embodiment, the rear end portion 52 is
It has a triangular or trapezoidal shape in plan view. The electromagnet 8 includes a rectangular bobbin 6 made of synthetic resin and a coil 7 wound around the bobbin 6. From the front end of the bobbin 6 to the inner wall of the cavity 15, a pair of L-shaped coercive plates 54 made of a magnetic material such as a mild steel plate are mounted. These coercive plates 54 are
This is for making the core 5 and the operating piece 9 continuous in a magnetic circuit when the operating piece 9 is in the lock position.

In the cavity 15 of the bobbin 6, a leaf spring 10 and an operating piece 9 having a shape shown in FIG. 9 are further inserted. The leaf spring 10 is composed of an L-shaped fixed portion 10a sandwiched between the upper side magnetizing plate 54 and the bobbin 6, and a biasing portion 10b extending obliquely downward from the rear end thereof. The tip of the urging portion 10b is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the operating piece 9 and elastically urges the rear side of the operating piece 9 downward.

The operating piece 9 is composed of a main body portion 19 which is housed in the cavity 15 of the bobbin 6 so as to be movable in the axial direction, and a suction portion 20 having a wide tip end portion. A cylindrical engagement hole 55 is formed on the lower surface of the suction portion 20. As shown in FIG. 7A, a protrusion 56 is provided at the rear end of the bobbin 6, and an engagement pin 57 is provided upright on the protrusion 56. The upper end of the engagement pin 57 engages with the engagement hole 55 and functions as a stopper for restraining the forward and backward movement of the operating piece 9.
Note that reference numeral 58 in FIG. 9 is a printed circuit board that mediates between the coil 7 and the lead wire 52, and the printed circuit board 58 is fixed to the rear end portion of the bobbin 6.

An intermediate lock device C having the above-mentioned structure
In FIG. 7, when no current flows in the coil 7 of the electromagnet 8, the leaf spring 10 biases the actuating piece 9 downward (arrow P) as shown in FIG. 7b. Therefore, the operating piece 9 is inclined obliquely downward, and the engagement hole 55 and the engagement pin 57 are engaged with each other. That is, the state is locked. In this state, the arrow T is displayed on the inner cord 2.
Even if a directional force is applied, the operating piece 9 does not move.

From this state, when the electromagnet 8 is energized,
The attracting portion 20 of the operating piece 9 is attracted to the rear end portion 5d of the core 5, and the gap between them is eliminated as shown in FIG. 7a, or a slight gap is opened to face each other. Then, the engagement hole 55 and the engagement pin 57 are disengaged. That is, the lock is released. In this state, the inner cord 2 has an arrow T
When pulled in the direction, the inner cable 2 can move in that direction together with the actuating piece 9 and can further return in the direction of arrow S. When the inner cord 2 is moved in the direction of the arrow T, the attracting portion 20 is in the guide groove 4c. Therefore, even when the energization is stopped and the electromagnet is not excited, the actuating piece 9 remains in the leaf spring 10. Do not tilt downward against the urging force of. Even if the inner cord 2 is operated in the direction of the arrow S and the suction portion 20 comes out of the guide groove 4c, the engagement pin 57 is engaged until it reaches the lock position and the engagement pin 57 is fitted into the engagement hole 55. Since the upper end of 57 is in sliding contact with the lower surface of the operating piece 9, it can be returned in the direction of arrow S. After the engagement, the lock state is established.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the locked state is set when the power is not supplied, it is more safe even if a power failure occurs for some reason when it is adopted in a fail-safe interlock mechanism for an automobile, which will be described later.

Next, with reference to FIG. 10, a description will be given of the case of the fail-safe interlock system in which the intermediate lock device B is incorporated between the shift lever portion 60, the key portion 70 and the brake pedal 80 of the automobile. The intermediate lock device B is provided in the middle of the interlock control cables 3a and 3b connected between the shift lever portion 60 and the key portion 70. The left side of Figure 4 is the shift lever 6
It is the direction connected to 0. And the electromagnet turns on-
The OFF is controlled by an ON-OFF switch such as a limit switch 82 provided on the mounting base 81 of the brake pedal 80. In the present embodiment, the brake pedal 80 is energized when it is not depressed, and the energization is cut off when it is depressed. Is wired to. That is, when the vehicle is powered on by the ignition key, the electromagnet is immediately energized. Reference numeral 83 is a power source,
The N-OFF switch includes a photoelectric tube and various sensors.

The shift lever portion 60 includes a shift lever 63 rotatably supported by a support bracket 62 provided on the lower surface side of the frame 61, and the shift lever 6 thereof.
A regulation bracket (gate plate) 64 is provided upright on the frame 61 to regulate the movement of the No. 3 movement. In the middle of the shift lever 63, a detent pin 65 that is vertically movable along the shift lever and is always biased upward is provided. The knob 66 at the upper end of the shift lever 63 is provided with a detent knob 66a which is an operation portion for moving the detent pin 65 downward. A gate having a plurality of engaging portions 67 with which the detent pin 65 can be engaged is opened in the restriction bracket 64. Each engaging portion 67 corresponds to each position of the shift lever 63, that is, a P (parking) position, a D (drive) position, an R (reverse) position, etc., and the deep engaging groove 67a at the left end corresponds to the P position. It is the engaging portion. These configurations are conventionally known.

In this embodiment, as a mechanism for locking the detent pin 65 at the P position, a shift lock cam 68 and a stopper cam 69 which are rotatably attached to the restriction bracket 64 by pins 68a and 69a, respectively.
It has. The shift lock cam 68 has a substantially L-shaped configuration including an arm to which the inner cable 2a of the control cable 3a is connected and a protrusion for locking the detent pin 65 in the engagement groove 67a. The stopper cam 69 is formed in a substantially triangular shape from a protrusion that comes into contact with the detent pin 65 and a protrusion that has an engaging portion for restraining the shift lock cam 68 in the direction of arrow S1, that is, in the unlocked state.

The key portion 70 shown in FIG. 10 has a conventionally well-known structure, and the tip end side of the key cylinder 71 rotated by the key 70a has a rectangular shape protruding radially in a plane including the axis. Lock plate 72 is provided. Further, the inner cable 2 of the control cable 3b on the key side
A shaft 74, which is slidably guided by a guide 73 in a direction parallel to the axis of the key cylinder 71, is connected to b. The hook of the shaft 74 engages with the side surface 72a of the lock plate 72 to restrain the rotation of the key cylinder 71, and engages with the upper surface 72b of the lock plate 72 to restrain the axial movement of the shaft 74. Locking pieces 75 are provided so as to project in the radial direction. Further, the shaft 74 is biased by a spring 76 in the direction of arrow N2. Next, the operation of the fail-safe interlock system configured as described above will be described for each state.

[Drive / key lock mode] FIG.
Then, the detent pin 65 has the engaging groove 67 for the P position.
The shift lock cam 68 is located at a position deviated from a, and the shift lock cam 68 is rotated in the direction of the arrow S1 and is restrained in that state by the stopper cam 69. Inner cable 2 in this state
Since a is pulled out from the conduit 1a, in the intermediate locking device B, as shown in FIG.
Is moving in the direction. On the other hand, in the key portion 70, the shaft 7
4 is moving in the direction of arrow N1. Key cylinder 7
In this state, 1 is rotated to a position other than the steering lock position (LOCK position), such as ACC or ON.

In this state, the shift lever 63 can be freely operated including the P position. On the other hand,
The key 70a is a lock plate 72 of the key cylinder 71.
Since the side surface 72a of the interference with the side surface of the locking piece 75, the LO
Cannot return to CK position. Therefore, there is no risk of locking the steering wheel during driving.
Further, there is no possibility of removing the key 70a while leaving the shift lever 63 at a position other than the P position, for example, the D position. Further, during the drive mode, the connecting member 31 is maintained in the state of moving in the direction of the arrow T, so that even if the electromagnet is excited or demagnetized by depressing the brake pedal 80, the intermediate lock action is not affected.

[Parking Operation] Next, when the shift lever 63 is operated to the P position while pushing the detent knob 66a, the detent pin 65 pushes the protrusion of the stopper cam 69 and rotates it in the direction of arrow S2. Therefore, the restraint of the stopper cam 69 on the shift lock cam 68 is released. Therefore, the pulling force of the inner cable 2a is relaxed and pulled by the spring 76 of the key portion 70 toward the key portion 70. Therefore, the shift lock cam 6
8 rotates in the direction of arrow S2, whereby the projection of the shift lock cam 68 closes the outlet of the engagement groove 67a while the detent pin 65 is engaged with the engagement groove 67a.

[Shift lock / key-free mode] On the other hand, as the inner cords 2a, 2b move, the connecting member 31 also moves in the direction of arrow S as shown in FIG. It fits in the engaging hole 38. Thereby, the inner cable can be locked at the lock position. However, when the brake pedal 80 is depressed, the lock is released. Further, in the key portion 70, the shaft 74 rises in the direction of the arrow N2, and the constraint of the key cylinder 71 in the rotation direction is released.

[Steering lock mode] When the key 70a is rotated to the steering lock side from the above state, the locking piece 75 of the shaft 74 is placed on the upper surface of the lock plate 72. Therefore, the brake pedal 80
The movement of the inner cords 2a, 2b toward the shift lever portion 60 side is restricted regardless of whether the shift lever 63 is depressed.
Cannot be operated on the drive side. Key 7 in this state
0a can be extracted. Further, the steering lock locks the rotation of the steering wheel, and the electric relations of the automobile are also turned off.

[Start of Operation] In the steering lock mode described above, since the shaft 74 is raised, the lock plate 72 and the locking piece 75 do not interfere with each other. Therefore, the driver can insert the key 70a into the key cylinder 71 and rotate it to the start side to start the engine. At this start, the shift lever 63 is always in the parking position. When the key 70a is rotated, the engagement between the upper surface 72b of the lock plate 72 and the locking piece 75 is released. However, since the brake pedal 80 is not stepped on in that state, the electromagnet 32 remains excited, and the connecting member 31 still remains locked in the direction of arrow S, as shown in FIG. 6b. Therefore, the shift lever 63 cannot be operated. That is, in this state, the brake pedal 80 is stepped on, the power of the electromagnet is turned off, and the operating piece 33 is rotated in the direction of arrow M by the urging force of the leaf spring 34 as shown in FIG. The shift lock mechanism is unlocked only after the shift lock mechanism is released from 38. Therefore, only when the brake is applied, the shift lever 6
3 can be switched to drive or reverse. Therefore, sudden start can be prevented.

When the shift lever 63 is released from the P position while pushing the detent knob 66a, the detent pin 65 pushes the shift lock cam 68 and the arrow S
It is rotated in one direction and at the same time, the inner cable 2a is pulled in the direction of arrow T. When the shift lock cam 68 reaches the original position, the stopper cam 69 restrains the shift lock cam 68 at that position, and the drive / key lock mode is restored again.

The above interlock device employs an electromagnetically driven intermediate lock device B shown in FIGS.
The intermediate lock device A of FIGS. 1 to 3 and the intermediate lock device C of FIG. 7a can be similarly employed. In that case,
Is connected to the shift lever portion 60 side, and the left side is connected to the key portion 70 side. And any of the intermediate locking devices A,
Even when B or C is adopted, the area around the shift lever portion 60 is simple, and only one control cable is used. Therefore, the installation is easy. Furthermore, since the intermediate locking devices A, B, and C are compact, there is little risk of interfering with other parts and the like, and the assembling work is simple. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the pull cable is adopted,
If a push-pull cable is used, no spring is used on the key cylinder side, and the return force of the detent pin on the shift lever side is used as the return force via the shift lock cam. Therefore, increase the accuracy of the cable set length, or use the actual stroke of the cable sufficiently larger than the required stroke on the key side.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the intermediate lock device is interposed in the intermediate portion of the control cable, but it may be interposed between the control cable and another movable element. The other movable element may be either an operating element operating its control cable or a driven element to be driven by the control cable. Such movable elements are those which allow lateral movement of the actuating piece or locking member connected to the cable, such as a rod hinged to the other end of the actuating piece connected at one end to the inner line, or a composite. A flexible rod such as a resin may be used.

The intermediate lock device of the present invention can be applied not only to an interlock cable of an automobile but also to, for example, a "fuel filler opener cable" that allows the fuel filler port to be opened unless the engine is turned off. Further, in the above embodiment, the energization of the electromagnet depends only on whether or not the brake pedal is depressed,
For example, in the state where the interlock by the brake lever is unnecessary, such as the state where the inner rope is pulled to the shift lever side,
The electromagnet may be deenergized. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the intermediate lock is possible only when the inner rope is moved to one side, that is, when the inner rope is moved to the side of the position to be locked, but depending on the purpose of use, the inner rope is locked at both moving ends. A configuration can also be adopted.

[0056]

The intermediate locking device of the present invention causes a locking action by engaging an operating piece arranged along a cable with a locking member, and moves the operating piece for switching engagement / disengagement of an electromagnet. It is performed by the attraction force and the biasing force of the return spring. Therefore, a larger locking force can be obtained as compared with the case where the attracting force of the electromagnet is directly used for the locking action, and the electromagnet can be small. Therefore, it consumes less power and generates less heat. Further, since the electromagnet is small, the actuating piece and the lock member are arranged along the cable, and the moving distance of the actuating piece in the direction intersecting with the inner cable is small, the whole structure can be made extremely compact.

Since the interlock device for an automobile of the present invention employs the intermediate lock device using the electromagnet, the periphery of the shift lock device is simple and only one control cable is required. Therefore, the structure is simple and the installation work and the assembly work are easy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing an embodiment of an intermediate locking device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the apparatus of FIG. 1 before assembling.

3A to 3B are explanatory views sequentially showing an operating state of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway side view showing another embodiment of the intermediate locking device of the present invention.

5 is a perspective view of an essential part of the device of FIG. 4 before assembly.

6A to 6C are explanatory views sequentially showing an operating state of the apparatus of FIG.

7A and 7B are a longitudinal sectional view and a partially cut-away side view of an operating state thereof, respectively, showing still another embodiment of the intermediate locking device of the present invention.

8 is a perspective view of the intermediate locking device of FIG. 7a before assembly.

9 is an exploded perspective view of essential parts of the intermediate locking device of FIG. 7a.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automobile interlock device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A intermediate locking device 1a conduit 1b conduit 2 inner cable 3 control cable 5 core 6 bobbin 8 electromagnet 9 operating piece 10 leaf spring 14 engaging step portion B intermediate locking device 31 connecting member 32 electromagnet 33 operating piece 34 leaf spring 38 engaging hole 39 Core C Intermediate Lock Device 55 Engagement Hole 57 Engagement Pin 60 Shift Lever Part 70 Key Part 80 Brake Pedal

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI technical display location G05G 5/08

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An electromagnetically driven intermediate locking device for locking the movement of a control cable, comprising a plate-shaped operating piece made of magnetic material and arranged in the vicinity of the operating material. A lock member arranged along the cable for engaging the operation piece to prevent movement of the cable, and an electromagnet for adsorbing the operation piece in a direction of engaging or separating the operation piece and the lock member. , An intermediate lock of the control cable, which comprises a return spring for urging the operating piece in the opposite direction, one of the operating piece and the locking member is connected in the middle of the cable, and the other is connected to the stationary element. apparatus. 2. An electromagnetically driven intermediate locking device for locking the movement of a control cable, comprising a plate-like actuating piece made of a magnetic material, which is arranged along the cable, and a proximate to the actuating piece. A lock member arranged along the cable for engaging the operation piece to prevent movement of the cable, and an electromagnet for adsorbing the operation piece in a direction of engaging or separating the operation piece and the lock member. , A return spring for urging the operating piece in the opposite direction, one of the operating piece and the locking member is connected between the end of the cable and the other movable element, and the other is connected to the stationary element. The intermediate lock device for the control cable. 3. The operating piece is connected to a cable, a lock member is provided on the electromagnet, and a bobbin and a coil of the electromagnet are arranged so as to surround the operating piece and the cable. The bobbin and the coil. The intermediate locking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a U-shaped core for adsorbing the front and rear ends of the operating piece is arranged on the outside of the. 4. When the operating piece is in the position to be locked,
The operating piece and the lock member are arranged such that one end of the core is close to the engaging portion provided on the distal end side of the operating piece, and the other end of the core is magnetically continuous with the base end of the operating piece. Is
The intermediate locking device according to claim 1 or 2. 5. The device according to claim 4, wherein one end of the core constitutes a lock member, and when the operating piece is attracted to the core, the engaging portion of the operating piece engages with one end of the core. 6. The lock member according to claim 4, wherein the lock member is arranged on the opposite side of the core with the operating piece interposed therebetween, and when the operating piece is attracted to the core, the engagement between the operating piece and the lock member is released. Intermediate locking device. 7. The lock member is a non-magnetic connecting member, and the coil and bobbin of the electromagnet are arranged on one side of the connecting member and the actuating piece is provided on the other side. The intermediate locking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein. 8. The electromagnet includes a core that faces both sides of the connecting member and faces the operating piece, and the base of the operating piece is rotatably locked to the core, and the operating piece is free. The intermediate locking device according to claim 7, wherein an engaging portion that engages with the connecting member is provided near the end. 9. The coupling member according to claim 7, wherein an engagement hole is formed as an engaged portion, and a protrusion that engages with the engagement hole is provided on the operating piece as an engaging portion. Intermediate locking device. 10. The engagement pin is an engagement pin that is provided so as to be retractable in a through hole formed in the actuating piece, and the engagement pin is biased by a spring so as to project toward the coupling member side. Item 9. The intermediate locking device according to item 9. 11. A base of the return spring is fixed to a base of the actuating piece to urge the actuating piece so that its tip end side is separated from the connecting member, and a spring for urging the engaging pin returns the return piece. 11. An intermediate locking device according to claim 10, which is constituted by the free end of a spring. 12. A shift lock device for a shift lever for an automatic transmission, and a key lock device for an ignition key,
The control cable for interlock connected between them, and any one of Claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11 provided in the control cable. An interlock device for an automobile, comprising an electromagnetically driven intermediate lock device and a switch for controlling engagement / disengagement of an engagement portion and a lock member by the electromagnet by depressing a brake pedal.