JPH09196154A - Shock absorbing structure of shift lever - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain a hitting sound generated by collision of a shift lock member and a shift lever by providing a shock absorbing member to relieve collision of the shift lever and a detent opening inner wall so as to be added to the shift lever. SOLUTION: When a shift lever 12 is moved to a drive travel position from a neutral position, the shift lever 12 swings with a swinging point 15 as the center while being guided by a detent opening 11. At this time, a shock absorbing member 23 moves in a recessed groove 24 while opposing at prescribed intervals to an inner wall of the recessed groove 24. Then, though the shift lever 12 collides with an inner wall of the detent opening 11 when the drive travel position is established by a power adjustment of a driver, before collision, the shock absorbing member 23 collides with the inner wall of the recessed groove 24, and impact force is relieved by the elastic action of the shock absorbing member 23, and a hitting sound by collision is restrained. The shock absorbing member 23 having high dimensional accuracy can be manufactured by reducing the size of the shock absorbing member 23 of a thermoplastic elastomer material.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to
In a gate type AT (automatic transmission) shift lever device including a shift lever that is swung about a predetermined swing point by being guided by a detent opening formed along the direction, a collision between the shift lever and another member is softened. The present invention relates to a buffer structure of a shift lever.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a gate type AT shift lever device is supported by a housing installed on the floor of a vehicle and swings about a predetermined swing point, and a parking hole is formed in the housing. Position, parking departure position,
And a detent opening including a reverse position, a reverse preparation position, and a neutral position in sequence. The detent opening is formed in a crank shape along two directions orthogonal to each other, and the shift lever swing direction is changed by the combination of these two directions, so that an erroneous operation of the shift lever is avoided as much as possible. When the swing of the shift lever is changed in direction, a striking sound is generated due to the collision between the shift lever and the inner wall of the detent opening.

In order to suppress such hitting sound, the gate type AT shift lever device is provided with a shift lever cushioning structure. For example, conventionally, an elastomer cushioning plate member having an opening similar to the detent opening is installed on the upper surface of the housing. By forming the opening of the buffer plate material to be narrower than the detent opening and projecting the buffer plate material from the inner wall of the detent opening, the buffer member receives the collision of the shift lever. Since the shift lever collides with the buffer plate material prior to the inner wall of the detent opening,
The collision between the shift lever and the inner wall of the detent opening was softened, and as a result, the hitting sound due to the collision was suppressed.

[0004]

In the conventional shock absorbing structure described above, since a relatively large shock absorbing plate material that spreads over the upper surface of the housing is formed of the thermoplastic elastomer material so as to include the entire detent opening, it is caused by cooling shrinkage of the elastomer material. Therefore, it is difficult to secure the component accuracy and the positioning accuracy of the plate material.

Further, the gate type AT shift lever device is
The shift lever allows the select operation from the parking position to the parking release position only when the brake pedal is depressed, such as when the vehicle starts, or prohibits the select operation from the neutral position to the reverse position while the vehicle is running. In some cases, a shift lock device is provided so that the shift lock device can be provided. This shift lock device causes the shift lock member to project into the movement path of the shift lever under a predetermined condition, and the swing operation of the shift lever is prohibited by the collision between the shift lock member and the shift lever. A tapping sound is generated.

However, conventionally, the gate type AT shift lever device has not been provided with a measure for suppressing the hitting sound caused by the collision between the shift lock member and the shift lever.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a shock absorbing structure for a shift lever in which the dimensional accuracy of parts can be easily obtained. Another object of the present invention is to provide a new shift lever cushioning structure capable of suppressing a hitting sound caused by a collision between a shift lock member and a shift lever.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the invention, the shift lever of the gate type AT shift lever device is guided to a detent opening formed along two directions orthogonal to each other. In the shock absorbing structure of the shift lever, which suppresses a hitting sound generated when the shift lever collides with the inner wall of the detent opening when swinging about a predetermined swing point, the shift lever is attached to the shift lever. And a cushioning member that softens the collision between the inner wall of the detent opening and the inner wall of the detent opening.

According to this structure, even if the shift lever attempts to collide with the inner wall of the detent opening when the direction of swing of the shift lever is changed, the cushioning member collides prior to the collision. As a result, the tapping sound that should be generated due to the collision between the shift lever and the inner wall of the detent opening is suppressed. Moreover, since the buffer member is attached to the shift lever, it is possible to make the buffer member smaller than the conventional buffer member. As a result, it becomes possible to easily manufacture the cushioning member with high dimensional accuracy.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the shift lever cushioning structure according to the first aspect, the inner wall of the housing surrounding the swing point of the shift lever is engraved along the detent opening to swing. A concave groove is formed at a uniform distance from the moving point, and the buffer member moves along the concave groove as the shift lever swings.

According to this structure, since the concave groove with which the cushioning member abuts is always located at a uniform distance from the swing point of the shift lever, even if the length of the cushioning member in the shift lever axial direction is set to be short, The buffer member collides with the concave groove prior to the collision between the shift lever and the inner wall of the detent opening. Traditionally,
Since the upper surface of the housing is flat, the contact position between the upper surface of the housing and the shift lever moves in the axial direction of the shift lever as the shift lever swings. as a result,
It is necessary to set the length of the cushioning member in the shift lever axial direction to be long according to the moving distance.

Further, according to the third invention, in the buffer structure for the shift lever according to the first or second invention, the gate type AT shift lever device has the shift lever under a predetermined condition regardless of the guide path of the detent opening. A shift lock member configured to collide with the shift lock member to prevent swing operation of the shift lever, and the cushioning member integrally includes a shift lock cushioning member that suppresses a tapping sound generated by a collision between the shift lever and the shift lock member. It is characterized by

According to this structure, one shock-absorbing member can suppress not only the hitting sound caused by the collision between the shift lever and the inner wall of the detent opening, but also the hitting sound caused by the collision between the shift lever and the shift lock member. can do.

Further, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the buffer structure of the shift lever according to the first to third aspects, the buffer member is formed by two-color molding or insert molding on the shift lever.

According to this structure, it is possible to easily provide the shift lever provided with the buffer member.

Furthermore, according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the shift lever of the gate type AT shift lever device serves as the shift lock member under a predetermined condition regardless of the guide path of the detent opening for guiding the swing of the shift lever. (EN) Provided is a shift lever cushioning structure characterized in that a shift lock cushioning material is attached to a shift lever to reduce a collision between a shift lever and a shift lock member when the shift lever and the shift lock member collide with each other to prevent rocking.

According to this structure, since the shift lever collides with the shift lock member via the shift lock cushioning material, the tapping sound to be generated by the collision is suppressed.

[0018]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic overall structure of a gate type AT shift lever device to which a shock absorbing structure according to the present invention is applied. This gate type AT shift lever device AT is provided with a housing 1 installed on a floor surface of a vehicle adjacent to a driver's seat of the vehicle.
0 is provided. A crank-shaped detent opening 11 is formed on the upper surface of the housing 10 along two directions D1 and D2 orthogonal to each other. The detent opening 11 includes a parking position P, a parking release position P1, a reverse position R,
The reverse preparation position R1, the neutral position N, the drive traveling position D, the gear holding position M, the shift up position (+), and the shift down position (-) are included in this order. By changing the direction of the guide path of the detent opening 11, an erroneous operation of the shift lever 12 moving in the detent opening 11 can be avoided as much as possible.

Referring also to FIG. 2, the shift lever 12 is swingably supported in the housing 10 via two support shafts 13 and 14 which are orthogonal to each other. The shift lever 12 can be swung in all directions around a predetermined swing point 15, that is, an intersection of the two support shafts, by a combination of the two support shafts 13 and 14. Shift lever 12
The rocking of is guided by the detent opening 11.

The upper surface of the housing 10 has a shift lever 1
It is composed of a base upper 16 that regulates the swinging of the two, and a makeup housing 17 that covers the base upper 16. A biasing mechanism 18 that biases the shift lever 12 in a predetermined direction is provided between the base upper 16 and the shift lever 12. The biasing mechanism 18 includes a biasing slope 20 formed on the ceiling surface 19 of the base upper 16. The ceiling surface 19 is formed in an inverted spherical shape that spreads around the swing point 15. When the sliding ball 21 attached to the shift lever 12 and spring-biased moves down the biasing slope 20 (upward in the drawing), the shift lever 12
Is forcedly swung from the parking detachment position P1 to the parking position P, or the reverse preparation position R
It is forcibly rocked from 1 to the neutral position N.

The shift lever device AT is provided with a cushioning structure 22 capable of suppressing a tapping sound generated when the shift lever 12 collides with the inner wall of the detent opening 11. The shock absorbing structure 22 includes a shock absorbing member 23 integrally attached to the shift lever 12. This buffer member 23
Is made of a thermoplastic elastomer material and is integrally molded around the round bar portion of the shift lever 12 by two-color molding or insert molding.

A concave groove 24 having a uniform depth D is formed on the ceiling surface 19 of the base upper 16 along the detent opening 11 formed in the base upper 16. This groove 24
The buffer member 23 is received at a predetermined distance from the inner wall of the groove 24 to allow the shift lever 12 to freely swing. Since the groove 24 is formed on the inverted spherical ceiling surface 19, the groove 24 is located at a uniform distance from the swing point 15 of the shift lever 12. Therefore, the buffer member 23 always moves in the concave groove 24 as the shift lever 12 swings.

The gate type AT shift lever device AT includes
A shift lock mechanism 25 is provided to prevent the shift lever 12 from swinging under a predetermined condition regardless of the guide path of the detent opening 11. This shift lock mechanism 25
Cylindrical engagement protrusion 2 extending from one side of shift lever 12
6 and the engaging protrusion 26 attached to the housing 10.
And a shift lock member 27 capable of restricting the swing of the shift lever 12 due to collision with the shift lock member 27. As is apparent from FIG. 3, the shift lock member 27 is swingable around the swing shaft 30 and the first shift lock piece 29 that is swingably supported on the inner wall of the housing 10 around the swing shaft 28. And a second shift lock piece 31 supported by. The first and second shift lock pieces 29 and 31 are connected to each other via a connecting shaft 32, and the two 29 and 31 are interlocked with each other. A solenoid 33 is connected to the second shift lock piece 31, and the shaft of the solenoid 33 moves back and forth to move the first and second shift lock pieces 29 and 31 to the non-operating position shown in FIG. Move to and from the operating position shown in.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, cushioning member 23
Is a shift lock cushioning member 34 that covers the engagement protrusion 26.
Is provided integrally. Therefore, the shift lock cushioning member 34 is interposed between the engagement protrusion 26 of the shift lever 12 and the first and second shift lock pieces 29 and 31, so that the engagement protrusion 26 and the first and second shift locks. The collision with the pieces 29 and 31 is softened, and the tapping sound generated by this collision is suppressed.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. Now
It is assumed that the driver operates the shift lever 12 to move the shift lever 12 from the neutral position N to the drive traveling position D. First, the shift lever 12 swings in the direction D2 about the swing point 15 while being guided by the detent opening 11. At this time, the buffer member 23 has the concave groove 24.
It moves in the groove 24 while facing the inner wall at a predetermined interval. Subsequently, the shift lever 12 collides with the inner wall of the detent opening 11 at the time of changing the direction to the direction D1, that is, when the drive traveling position D is established, due to the force of the driver. Prior to the collision between the shift lever 12 and the inner wall of the detent opening 11, the cushioning member 23 collides with the inner wall of the concave groove 24, so the impact force is softened by the elastic action of the cushioning member 23, and the striking sound generated by the collision is suppressed. To be done. Moreover, since the concave groove 24 is formed on the ceiling surface 19 having an inverted spherical shape, the buffer member 23 and the inner wall of the concave groove 24 collide at a uniform position from the swing point 15 at all times. As a result, even if the axial length of the cushioning member 23 in the axial direction of the shift lever 12 is set to be short, the cushioning member 23 can surely collide with the inner wall of the concave groove 24, and the suppression of tapping sound can be ensured. By thus reducing the size of the buffer member 23 made of the thermoplastic elastomer material, it becomes possible to easily manufacture the buffer member 23 with high dimensional accuracy.

Since it is not necessary to dispose a cushioning member between the upper surface of the base upper 16 and the decorative housing 17 as in the conventional case, the distance H between the base upper 16 and the decorative housing 17 should be set to a minimum. As a result, the distance from the swing point 15 of the shift lever 12 to the detent opening 11 can be set as large as possible. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the impact on the shift lever 12 and improve the durability of the shift lever 12 by the amount of the increased distance.

When the vehicle is started, unless the driver depresses the brake pedal, the solenoid 33 acts so that the first and second shift lock pieces 29 and 31 are in the operating position (see FIG. 4). As a result, as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.
Even if the shift lever 12 is moved to 1, the engaging protrusion 26 of the shift lever 12 collides with the second shift lock piece 31 and blocks the movement thereof. At this time, the engaging protrusion 26
Since is covered with the shift lock cushioning material 34, the tapping sound caused by the collision between the engagement protrusion 26 and the second shift lock piece 31 is suppressed. The shift lock cushioning member 34 is the cushioning member 2.
3 is integrally formed with the shift lock member 27 without increasing the number of parts.
It is possible to suppress the tapping sound.

Further, when the vehicle is running, the solenoid 33 acts to cause the first and second shift lock pieces 29 and 31 to move.
Is in the operating position. In this case, unless the driver depresses the brake pedal to reduce the vehicle speed to a lower speed than a predetermined value, the neutral position N to the reverse preparation position R
The swing of the shift lever 12 to the first shift lock piece 2
Blocked by 9 As in the case described above, the engaging projection 2
The shift lock cushioning material 34 suppresses the generation of hitting sound due to the collision between the first shift lock piece 29 and the first shift lock piece 29.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to use a buffer member that is smaller than the conventional one, and as a result, it is possible to easily manufacture a highly accurate buffer member. Further, it is possible to newly suppress the tapping sound that should be generated due to the collision between the shift lever and the shift lock member.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a gate type AT shift lever device to which a shift lever cushioning structure according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1, showing a non-operating state of the shift lock mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1, showing an operating state of the shift lock mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 housing, 11 detent opening, 12 shift lever, 15 swing point, 23 buffer member, 24 concave groove, 27 shift lock member, 34 shift lock buffer material, AT gate type AT shift lever device, D1, D2
Two directions.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A shift lever of a gate type AT shift lever device, when the shift lever is guided around detent openings formed in two directions orthogonal to each other and swings around a predetermined swing point, In a buffer structure of a shift lever that suppresses a hitting sound generated when the detent opening inner wall collides, a shift characterized by comprising a buffer member that is attached to the shift lever and softens the collision between the shift lever and the detent opening inner wall. Lever buffer structure. 2. The shock-absorbing structure for a shift lever according to claim 1, wherein an inner wall of the housing surrounding the swing point of the shift lever is carved along the detent opening so as to be uniform from the swing point. A buffer structure for a shift lever, wherein a recessed groove located at a distance is formed, and the buffer member moves along the recessed groove as the shift lever swings. 3. The shock absorber structure for a shift lever according to claim 1, wherein the gate type AT shift lever device collides with the shift lever under a predetermined condition regardless of a guide path of the detent opening and shift lever. A shift lock member for preventing a rocking operation of the shift lock member, and the shock absorbing member integrally includes a shift lock shock absorbing member for suppressing a hammering sound generated by a collision between the shift lever and the shift lock member. Lever buffer structure. 4. The shock-absorbing structure for a shift lever according to claim 1, wherein the shock-absorbing member is two-color molded or insert-molded on the shift lever. . 5. A shift lever of a gate type AT shift lever device collides with a shift lock member under a predetermined condition to prevent the shift from swinging regardless of a guide path of a detent opening that guides the swing of the shift lever. A cushion structure for a shift lever, wherein a shift lock cushioning material for cushioning a collision between the shift lever and a shift lock member is attached to the shift lever when the shift lever is engaged.