JPS6320606A - Turnable-down shift lever device for automatic transmission - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the bending structure and to improve the bending operability by providing a stopper which intercepts a guide groove to stop an upper lever part from bending and providing a notch in a prescribed range position of a detect plate. CONSTITUTION:When a shift lever 10 is shifted to a range P, an upper lever part 20 and a guide groove 75 of a cover member coincide with each other, and the shift lever 10 is set to such position that it can be bent. However the upper lever part 20 is stopped from bending by a stopper 80. If the stopper 80 is taken off, the guide groove 75 is opened, and the upper lever part 20 can be turned down to the assistant driver's seat side along the guide groove 75. When the upper lever part 20 is turned down, a detect pin 26 placed in the upper lever part passes a notch 76 provided in the range P position of a detect plate 70 without interfering in the detect plate 70. The driver's seat is moved with the shift lever turned down in this manner.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a folding shift lever device for an automatic transmission, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a folding shift lever device for an automatic transmission. This invention relates to a foldable shift lever device for an automatic transmission that is configured to be foldable.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, shift levers of automatic transmissions in automobiles, etc.
A so-called floor shift type shift lever, in which the shift lever is disposed on the vehicle floor between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat, has become popular. A shift lever that stands upright from the vehicle floor inside the vehicle cabin is used to switch gears of the automatic transmission via a remote control link system (control cable, etc.).

By the way, as a floor shift type shift lever,
By pressing the button provided on the shift knob, the rod inserted into the shift lever is pushed down against the spring force, and the engagement between the detent pin at the lower end of the rod and the stepped portion of the detent slot formed in the detent plate is released. Shift levers configured to perform gear shifting operations are often used (for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 48-42420 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 53-34658).

In automobiles equipped with this floor shift type shift lever, the driver often gets in and out of the vehicle from the passenger seat in places where parking spaces are narrow or where traffic is heavy. In this case, when moving from the driver's seat to the passenger's seat, or from the passenger's seat to the driver's seat, the shift lever, which stands upright from the vehicle floor, becomes a protrusion that gets in the way, making it difficult to shift easily.

Therefore, the shift lever conventionally installed on the vehicle floor was divided into upper and lower halves, and the two parts were connected with a pin to make the shift lever bendable, thereby making it easier to change seats. A type shift lever device (for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-32887) has been proposed.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above conventionally proposed folding shift lever device for automatic transmission, when moving the seat, the shift lever is not moved in the direction of gear change operation (vehicle longitudinal direction).
It is designed to be folded down and folded down. Moreover, no means is taken to restrict the bending operation position of the shift lever.

Therefore, when the shift lever is bent toward the front of the vehicle and laid down, the tilted shift lever tends to get in the way, especially in cab-over type vehicles.

Furthermore, when the shift lever is bent toward the rear of the vehicle and laid down, it interferes with the parking brake lever and the like, making it impossible to lower the shift lever to a sufficiently low position, and the shift lever tends to get in the way. Furthermore, when the shift lever is bent, the bent portion is exposed and forms a protrusion, and it is conceivable that clothes may be caught on the bent portion when moving the seat in the vehicle interior.

Moreover, due to its bending structure, the upper lever part on the shift knob side is pushed down once against the spring along the 3-shaped pin groove formed in the lower lever part, and then the upper lever part is moved around the axis in this state. It is designed to be rotated, pulled up by a spring, and then folded down by bending the upper lever part.

Therefore, since the shift lever is located below the side of the driver's seat, it is difficult to bend the shift lever in a normal driving position.

In addition, since the upper lever part and the lower lever part are foldably connected with a pin at a position above the detent pin, the detent pin itself is divided into upper and lower halves and foldably connected with a pin, and the pin is connected to the Since it is necessary to set the upper lever part and the lower lever part at the same position as the axis of the pin that connects them, there is a problem that the structure becomes complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to make the shift lever that is folded and laid down less obstructive when moving the seat, to simplify the folding structure, and to improve the folding operability.

[Means for solving problems]

Therefore, the present invention adopts the following configuration as a means for solving the above-mentioned problems.

That is, the present invention provides a shift lever device for an automatic transmission in which the shift knob is provided with a button as described above, in which the shift lever is connected to an upper lever portion on the shift knob side and a lower lever portion on the transmission side at a position below the detent pin. The shift lever is divided into two parts and foldably connected by a joint means, and a guide groove is formed in a cover member that covers the bent portion of the shift lever to allow the upper lever portion to be bent toward the passenger seat only in a predetermined range. A stopper is provided to block the groove and prevent bending of the upper lever portion, and a notch is further provided at the predetermined range position in the detent plate through which the detent pin can pass when the upper lever portion is folded. .

Specifically, using FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 as an example, the foldable shift lever device for an automatic transmission changes the loft (25) by pressing a button (24) provided on the shift knob (21). Push down against the spring force and connect the detent pin (26) at the lower end of the rod and the detent plate (
The stepped portion (73) of the detent slot (73) formed in the
A shift lever (10) is arranged between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat, and is configured to perform a gear change operation by disengaging from the shift levers a to 73c).

The shift lever (10) is divided into two parts at a position below the detent pin (26), an upper lever part (20) on the shift knob side and a lower lever part (30) on the transmission side. , 30) are foldably connected by a joint means (40).

Then, a cover member (
70, 90) are formed with guide grooves (75, 95) that allow the upper lever portion (20) to be bent toward the passenger seat only in a predetermined range (P range).・95) and upper lever part (20)
A stopper (80) is provided to prevent bending.

Furthermore, a notch (76) is provided at the predetermined range (P range) position of the detent plate (70) through which the detent pin (26) can pass when the upper lever section is folded.

[For production]

According to the above-mentioned means, when the button (24) provided on the shift knob (21) is pressed, the loft (25) is depressed;
The detent pin (26) at the lower end of the loft and the step (7) of the detent slot (73) formed in the detent plate.
3a to 73c) are released. In this state, a desired shift position is selected.

By the way, in a range other than the predetermined range (P range), the upper lever part (20) of the shift lever and the guide grooves (75, 95) formed in the cover member do not match, and the shift lever (10
) cannot be folded.

Then, when the shift lever (10) is shifted to a predetermined range (P range), the upper lever part (20) and the guide-a (75, 95) of the cover member match, and the shift lever (
10) is the bendable position. However, the stopper (
80) prevents the upper lever portion (20) from being bent.

Therefore, when the stop 7 paper (80) is removed, the guide groove (75, 9
5) is opened, and the upper lever part (20) is guided through the guide groove (75).
・It can be folded down to the passenger side along 95).

When the upper lever part (20) is tilted down, the detent pin (26) located inside the upper lever part moves to the predetermined range (P range) of the detent plate (70) without interfering with the detent plate (70). It passes through the notch (76) provided in the.

Then, with the shift lever in the tilted state, the driver's seat is moved, that is, from the driver's seat to the passenger's seat, or from the passenger's seat to the driver's seat.

In addition, by placing the upper lever part (20) in an upright position along the guide grooves (75, 95) of the cover member, the shift lever (10) is returned to its original state.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 8 show a foldable shift lever device for an automatic transmission according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows the front and back of the vehicle with the shift lever shifted to the neutral range. 2 is a sectional view taken along line nn in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a plan view, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the main part, partially shown in cross section. , FIGS. 5-8 show the detent plate.

For convenience of explanation, Fig. 2 is shown with the shift lever shifted to the parking range, and the shift lever is shown in the parking range.
The figure shows the shift lever cut horizontally.

The foldable shift lever device can be broadly classified into shift lever 10.
, a torsion spring 50 attached to the shift lever, a lower bracket 60 that supports the shift lever, and a detent plate 7 that regulates the shift position of the shift lever.
0. It is comprised of a slide stopper 80 that prevents the shift lever from being bent, a resin cover 90 that covers the detent mechanism, and a slide cover 100 that displays the shift position.

In these figures, 10 indicates the entire shift lever, which is disposed substantially upright between a driver's seat and a passenger seat (not shown). The shift lever 10 is divided into two parts: an upper lever part 20 on the side of the shift knob 21 and a lower lever part 30 on the side of the transmission, both of which are foldably connected by a coupling means 40.

That is, a pipe-shaped rotating shaft 22 is welded to the lower end of the upper lever portion 20, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the lower lever portion 30 is comprised of a fork-shaped shift lever support 31 and a pipe-shaped rotating shaft 32, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and both are integrated by welding. A bolt 41 passes through a hole formed in the support 31 and is fastened with a nut 42 via a spring washer. The pipe-shaped rotating shaft 22 of the upper lever portion is concentrically arranged on the outer periphery of the bolt 41 via a collar 43 and a pair of bushings 44 with resin '#At'j. Axis line Y-
They are coupled to be rotatable about Y in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) in the paper of FIG.

The upper lever part 20 has a pipe shape, and a shift knob 21 is fixed with screws or screws to the upper end thereof. Further, a long hole 23 extending in the axial direction is formed at the lower end position of the upper lever portion 20.

A detent loft 25 is inserted into the upper lever part 20 so as to be freely movable in the axial direction.The upper end of the detent loft is connected to a button 24 provided at the axial center of the shift knob 21, and the lower end thereof is a detent loft. A large diameter support piece 27 with a pin 26 is connected. A compression coil spring (return spring) 28 is interposed between the upper lever portion 20 and the button 24.
The button 24 is always urged upward.

The detent pin 26 extends through the elongated hole 23 of the upper lever portion, and its end on the driver's seat side protrudes largely to engage with the detent slot of the detent plate, as shown in FIG.

In this way, by pressing the button 24 provided on the shift knob, the detent loft 25 is pushed down against the spring force of the spring 28, and the detent pin 25 at the lower end of the loft is pushed down.
6 is moved in the axial direction within a range determined by the elongated hole 23.

A torsion spring 50 is wound around the outer periphery of the pipe-shaped rotating shaft 22, and its protruding middle portion is locked to the upper lever portion 20, and the bent end portion is locked to the support 31 of the lower lever portion. . The spring force of the torsion spring 50 biases the upper lever portion 20 toward the left in the paper of FIG. 2 (the shift lever bending direction).

Reference numeral 60 designates a lower bracket, which is provided with a cable bracket 61 integrally molded in front of the lower bracket (on the left side in the figure), and is integrally fixed to a fixed member such as a vehicle floor (not shown) with a plurality of bolts and nuts. There is. and,
A detent plate 70 is fastened to the lower bracket 60 by four bolts 62 and naphts 63 passed through mounting holes 71 formed in the lower end flange.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the detent plate 70 is provided with upright left and right side walls 70a in the vehicle width direction, and a shift lever.
It has a U-shaped cross section with an upper wall 70b covering the bent portion.

A pair of left and right holes 72 are formed in the side wall 70a, and as shown in FIG. Detent slots 73 with 73a-73c
is formed.

The upper wall 70b has a curved shape centered on the central axis (axis X-X) of the pair of holes 72 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and has an upper lever portion as shown in FIG. An open lower lower 4 is formed that allows rotational movement of 20 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

A bolt 45 extending through a pair of holes 72 formed in the side wall of the detent plate 70 is fastened to the detent plate 70 with a napht 46 via a spring washer. Similar to the coupling means 40, the pipe-shaped rotating shaft 32 of the lower lever portion is concentrically arranged on the outer periphery of the bolt 45 via a collar and a pair of flanged bushings made of resin.

In this way, the shift lever 10 is moved along the axis X-X of the bolt 45.
It is rotatably supported in the left-right direction in the paper of FIG. 1 (vehicle front-rear direction) about the center. The shift position of the shift lever 10 is from the front of the vehicle to the parking range (P range).
Reverse range (R range) / Neutral range (N
They are arranged in a line in six positions: range), drive range (D range), second range (2 range), and low range (L range).

Further, a control lever 33 is welded to the pipe-shaped rotating shaft 32. A pin 34 is fixed to the tip of the control lever 33, and the end of the control cable is fitted onto this pin 34 via a rubber bush (not shown). In this way, the shift lever 10 is moved along the axis
- When rotating the control lever 33
The control cable is also configured to rotate around the axis X--X, and to reciprocate the control cable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to switch the automatic transmission gear to a predetermined gear position.

Now, the detent plate 70 includes the
As shown in the figure, a guide groove 75 is formed that allows the upper lever portion 20 to be bent toward the passenger seat only in the P range position.

That is, in the P range position, a guide groove 75 is formed continuously from the open lower 4 from the earthen wall 70b to the side wall 70a on the passenger seat side. This guide groove 75 has a width slightly larger than the outer diameter of the upper lever portion 20, and is approximately orthogonal to the shift lever speed change operation direction, with an axis extending from its center line C extending from the axis X-X. It extends in the direction of passing.

Further, at the P range position of the detent slot 73 of the detent plate, a notch 76 extending upward from the detent slot 73 is formed so as to communicate with the open lower portion 4 of the upper wall, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. has been done. This notch 76 has a width slightly larger than the outer diameter of the detent pin 26, and similarly to the guide groove 75, the axis extending from the center line C thereof extends in the direction passing through the axis kmx-x. . This notch 76 allows the detent pin 26 located inside the upper lever section 20 to pass through when the upper lever section 20 is tilted down.

In addition, the side wall 70a of the detent plate 70 on the passenger seat side
A pin 77, to which an end of a return spring of a slide stopper to be described later is locked, is press-fitted and welded in parallel to the axis XX.

Furthermore, an arcuate groove 78 centered on the shaft vAX-X is formed in the upper edge thereof, into which a mounting shaft of a stopper release knob, which will be described later, is fitted.

Reference numeral 80 designates the slide stop 7 pa, which has an upper wall 80b bent at right angles to block the guide groove 75 at the outer peripheral edge of the side wall 8Qa and come into contact with the upper lever portion 20, as shown in FIG. It has a disconnected circuit shape. A pipe-shaped rotating shaft 82, which is fitted onto the bolt 45, is welded to the lower end of the side wall. The outer peripheral surface of the upper wall 80b has a curved shape centered on the central axis (axis X-X) of the pipe-shaped rotating shaft 82, and
It is designed to slide along the inner peripheral surface of the upper wall.

The side wall 80a of the slide stopper has a pin 83 on its inner circumference to which one end of a return spring (described later) is locked, and a knob mounting shaft 84 on its outer circumference that fits into the arcuate groove 78 of the detent plate. The above axis X-
It is integrally fixed parallel to X by means of press fitting, welding, caulking, etc. Note that the front end surface (left end surface in FIG. 4) 80c of the slide stopper 80 is formed as an inclined surface forming an angle θ with respect to the center line C of the guide groove 75.

The slide stopper 80 is rotatably supported around the axis XX of the bolt 45 in the same way as the shift lever 10 by fitting a pipe-shaped rotating shaft 82 to the bolt 45 as shown in FIG. . And the rotation angle of the slide stopper 80 is 7'! ! 84 and the arcuate groove 78 of the detent plate, the angle is restricted to a certain range.

Reference numeral 85 designates a return spring (torsion spring) for the slide stopper 80, the middle part of which is wound around the pipe-shaped rotating shaft 82, and both ends of which are respectively engaged with the pin 77 of the detent plate and the pin 83 of the slide stopper. There is. This return spring 8
5 urges the slide stopper 80 in a direction to close the guide groove 75 so that the shift lever 10 does not fall even when it is in the P range. That is, the slide stopper 8
0 is biased to the left in the paper of Fig. 4 (toward the front of the vehicle),
It is held in the position shown in FIG. 4, where its front end surface is in contact with the protrusion 19 formed on the detent plate. good).

In this way, the slide stopper 80 blocks the guide groove 75.
During normal operation, the shift lever 10 prevents bending of the shift lever 10 and functions as a part of the detent plate 70, and also closes the base circular groove 75 to ensure sealing performance. 86
is a plate washer that is fitted onto the knob mounting shaft 84 and interposed between the detent plate 70 and the slide stopper 80.

Reference numeral 90 denotes a resin cover, which has a box shape and covers the aforementioned detent mechanism. Then, the resin cover 90 is installed as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
It is provided with an opening 94, a guide groove 95, and an arcuate groove 98 having similar shapes corresponding to each other. The upper wall 90b has a curved shape centered on the axis XX, similar to the detent plate 70, and has a pair of parallel protrusions 92 (FIG. 2) formed on its inner surface along the curved shape. There is. Both protrusions 92 are
It serves as a guide for a slide cover 100 that is inserted in a gap between the outer circumferential surface of the upper wall of the detent plate and the inner circumferential surface of the clay wall of the resin cover, both of which have a curved shape. This resin cover 90 is fixed to the front and rear upright portions 64 welded to the lower bracket 60 with four screws 93. Further, a stopper release knob 81 made of resin is screwed onto the tip of the knob attachment shaft 84 protruding from the arcuate groove. A plate washer 96 is fitted onto the knob mounting shaft 84 and interposed between the detent plate 70 and the resin cover 90.

A slide cover 100 slides in conjunction with the shift lever 10 along the outer circumferential surface of the upper wall of the detent plate and the inner circumferential surface of the upper wall of the resin cover, and displays the gear shift position, and also displays the above-mentioned guide i1!75 in other than the P range. and 9
It has the function of covering and sealing 5. This slide cover 100 has a flexible ultra-thin plate shape (for example, a plate thickness of 0.8 w) made of a resin material such as polyamide resin.
The upper lever part 20 is engaged with the central part of the upper lever part 20, and in order to allow the upper lever part 20 to be bent, the end face on the passenger seat side (the left end face in FIG. 2) is An open notch 4105 is formed.

In the foldable shift lever device for an automatic transmission configured as described above, when the shift lever 10 is in the P range, the detent pin 26 is urged upward by the spring force of the spring 28, and the detent slot 73 is in contact with the upper end surface of. Further, when the shift lever 10 is in the P range, the detent pin 26 is in contact with the upper end surface of the elongated hole 23.

Next, when the button 24 is pressed and the detent rod 25 is pushed down against the spring force of the spring 28, the detent pin 26 at the lower end of the rod moves downward along the elongated hole 23. Then, the engagement between the detent bin 26 and the stepped portions 73a to 73C of the detent grooves is released. In this state, the shift lever 10 is opened around the axis XX along the lower parts 4 and 94. As a result, the control lever 33 is rotated, and a control cable (not shown) is reciprocated in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, thereby operating the manual valve lever of the automatic transmission (not shown) to selectively shift to a desired gear. Switch operation (Please note that between N range, D range, and 2 ranges, press button 2.
You can change gears without pressing 4).

At shift positions other than the P range, the upper lever portion 20 and the guide grooves 75 and 95 do not match, and the shift lever 10 cannot be bent.

Then, when shift lever 10 is shifted to P range,
The upper lever portion 20 and the guide grooves 75 and 95 match,
This is the position where it can be bent. Then, the upper lever part 20 tries to fall down due to the spring force of the torsion spring 50, but comes into contact with the slide stopper 80 and stops at that position, thereby preventing bending. At this time, the load applied by the torsion spring 50 in the direction of tilting the upper lever portion 20 is received by the detent plate 70 mainly through the plate washer 88 fitted to the knob mounting shaft 84.

When bending and tilting the shift lever 10, the operation is as follows.

First, shift the shift lever 10 to the P range. In this shift position, the upper lever portion 20 of the shift lever
The guide grooves 75 and 95 coincide with each other, and the shift lever becomes a bendable position. However, the shift lever bending operation is prevented by a slide stopper 80.

Next, move the stopper release knob 81 to the return spring 85.
4 along the arcuate grooves 78 and 88 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4 (towards the rear of the vehicle).

Then, the slide stopper 80 also rotates around the axis XX at the same time, releasing the guide grooves 75 and 95.

When the slide stopper 80 is unlocked, the torsion spring 50 is acting on the upper lever part 20 in the direction of inclination, so that the slide stopper 80 naturally falls down about the axis Y-Y at the same time as the movement of the slide stopper 80 is completed. . When the upper lever part 20 is tilted down, the upper lever part 2
The detent bin 26 located within 0 passes through the notch 76 provided in the detent plate 70 without interfering with the detent plate 70. In this way, the upper lever part 2
0 comes into contact with the lower end surface of the guide groove and stops as shown by the imaginary line in FIG.

When the upper lever part 20 falls, the slide stopper 80 rotates about the axis X-χ by the action of the return spring 85 and returns to the original state shown in FIG. 2 in which the guide grooves 75 and 95 are closed. When the shift lever 10 is in the tilted state, the upper lever portion 20 is roughly held by the guide grooves 75 and 95 and the inclined surface 80c of the slide stopper, and is further biased by the return spring 85 of the slide stopper to securely hold the upper lever portion 20. to hold.

Then, with the shift lever in the tilted state, the driver's seat is moved, that is, from the driver's seat to the passenger's seat, or from the passenger's seat to the driver's seat.

Next, return the shift lever 10 to its original state (regular P range).
To return to , proceed as follows.

That is, without operating the stopper release knob 81, the fallen upper lever portion 20 is moved into the guide groove 75 around the axis Y-Y.
and 95 while resisting the torsion spring 50. Then, as the upper lever portion 20 moves, the slide stopper 80 also moves along the axis X due to the inclined surface 80c.
- rotate around χ to release guide grooves 75 and 95; Then, as soon as the upper lever part 20 passes, the return spring 850 automatically returns to the original position where the guides a75 and 95 shown in FIG. 2 are blocked. Therefore,
Thereafter, the shift lever 10 is reliably held in its normal upright position by the slide stopper 80.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the shift lever 10 is bent and tilted toward the passenger seat side in the vehicle width direction, which is substantially perpendicular to the direction of shift operation, so that the seat can be easily moved within the vehicle interior.

In particular, in cab-over type vehicles as shown in Figure 11, the driver's side seat! - By folding the shift lever 10 placed between D and the passenger seat E to the front of the passenger seat E indicated by the broken line, the shift lever 10 can be folded down when moving from the driver's seat to the passenger seat. The shift lever 1O does not get in the way, making it extremely easy to move the seat. Note that F indicates the vehicle floor and H indicates the steering wheel.

Furthermore, since the shift lever 10 can only be bent when shifted to the P range, in the unlikely event that the shift lever 10 is moved away from the driver's seat while the engine is running while the vehicle is stopped, or the shift lever is accidentally bent while moving the seat. Even if a part of the body touches the shift lever 10, the shift lever 10 is held in the P range, so there is no risk of the automatic transmission inadvertently operating, and it is safe.

Further, from the appearance, the fact that the shift lever 10 is foldable and the direction in which it is folded can be intuitively recognized. Moreover,
With the simple operation of moving the stopper release knob 81 of the slide stopper toward the rear of the vehicle, the upper lever part 20 is automatically collapsed by the spring force of the torsion spring 50, so the shift lever bending operability is extremely good.

Moreover, the shift lever 10 is moved between the upper lever part 20 and the lower lever part 3 at a position below the detent pin 26.
Since the detent rod 25 is divided into two parts and foldably connected by the joint means 40, there is no need to attach a pin to the detent rod 25 so that the detent rod 25 can be folded, and the structure is extremely simple. Therefore, it can be manufactured at low cost.

Moreover, the durability of the shift lever 10 can be improved since no unreasonable force is applied to the joint portion (bending portion) of the shift lever 10. Also, shift lever 10
Since the bent portion of the shift lever is covered by the detent plate 70 and the resin cover 90, there is no risk of clothes getting caught on the bent portion when the shift lever is in the tilted position, or of getting dirty with grease applied for lubrication.

Next, a foldable shift lever device for an automatic transmission according to a second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 1O will be described.

In FIGS. 9 and 10, parts corresponding to those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 1 and 2, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the structure of the button provided on the shift knob and the shape of the detent plate are changed.

That is, the shift knob 21 has a hole 21a that opens toward the driver's seat perpendicular to the axis of the upper lever portion 20, and a return spring 28 is inserted into the hole 21a.
A button 24 is slidably inserted through a. The button 24 has an inclined hole (
A cam hole) 24b is provided. A sleeve 25b having an upwardly inclined surface 25a corresponding to the upper surface is engaged in the inclined hole 24b. This sleeve 2
5a is screwed onto the upper end of the detent rod 25 and is constantly urged upward by a return spring 28. Thereby, the sleeve 25b is always engaged with the inclined hole 24b of the button 24.

On the other hand, the detent plate 700 is welded to the lower bracket 60 at its lower end flange. This detent plate 700 does not have the function of a cover member that covers the bent portion of the shift lever as in the previous embodiment.

That is, it does not have earthen walls or guide grooves. A notch 760 that is open at the upper end is formed at the P range position of the detent groove 730.

The left end of the bolt 45 in Figure 2 is the lower bracket) 60.
It is supported by an upright part 65 welded to the upright part 65, and a pin 77 that locks the end of the return spring 85 is welded to this upright part 65.

Further, the slide cover 100 is held by a resin stay 92a having a crank-shaped cross section and fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the resin cover by heat caulking, adhesive, or the like.

Then, when the button 24 is pressed, the inclined surfaces 24a and 25
The detent rod 25 is pushed down by the action of a. Then, the engagement between the detent pin 26 and the stepped portion of the detent groove 730 is released, and the speed change operation is performed in the same manner as in the previous embodiment.

Furthermore, when the upper lever section 20 is tilted down, the detent pin 2 of the upper lever section 20 is pressed down as in the previous embodiment.
6 passes through the notch 760 without interfering with the detent plate 700. Therefore, the upper lever portion 20 can be tilted down.

In this embodiment, the detent plate has a notch 76.
0. It is only necessary to additionally form the guide a95 on the resin cover, and no major changes to the conventional structure are required.

The present invention has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments, but
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments (but includes various embodiments within the scope of the claims, for example, a button provided on a shift knob and a button interlocked with this button). It is also possible to change the structure of the detent rond, the structure of the joint means connecting the upper lever part and the lower lever part, and the structure of the stopper.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, since the shift lever is tilted toward the passenger seat side perpendicular to the direction of gear change operation,
The bent shift lever does not get in the way when moving the seat, making it extremely easy to move the seat inside the vehicle.

Furthermore, since the soft lever can be tilted down simply by removing the stopper, the shift lever has extremely good bending operability.

Furthermore, there is no need to bendably connect the detent pins, and the structure is extremely simple and can be manufactured at low cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 8 show a foldable shift lever device for an automatic transmission according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows the front and back of the vehicle with the shift lever shifted to the neutral range. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line nn in Figure 1 (with the shift lever in the parking range); Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a side view of the main part, partially shown in cross section, Figures 5 to 8
The figures show the detent plate. Figure 5 is a plan view, Figure 6 is a view seen from the front of the vehicle, Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in Figure 5, and Figure 8 is a Side view seen from the arrow ■ direction in Figure 5, Figures 9 and 10
The figures show a foldable shift lever device for an automatic transmission according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part corresponding to FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing the interior of a cab-over type vehicle employing the foldable shift lever device of the present invention. Explanation of symbols D-...-Driver's side seat E--Passenger's side seat F-----Vehicle floor 10-1~----Shift lever 20...- --- Upper lever portion 21 --- Shift knob 23 --- Long hole 24 --- Button 25 --- Detent rond (loft) 26 ---
-------Detent bin 30---Lower lever part 33---Control lever'- 40------Jointing means 50---Torsion spring 60----1 Lower bracket 70 - Detent plate (cover member) 7
3...--Detent slots 73a to 73 c--One step portion 74--Opening a 5--Guide groove 76--Notch 78--Circular groove 80 −・−・Slide stopper (stopper) 81～−
11111 Stopper release knob 85 --- Return spring 90 --- Resin cover (cover member) 95 ---
...Guide groove 100...Slide cover 105...Notch groove 700, -m-...-Detent plate 730--
・-Detent slot 760--1~----Notch Applicant: Toyota Motor Corporation Banyan Kogyo Co., Ltd. Fig. 2 1o--Shift lever Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 ■ Fig. 7 Fig. 8 Figure 10 Figure 11

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) By pressing the button provided on the shift knob, the rod is pushed down against the spring force, and the engagement between the detent pin at the lower end of the rod and the stepped portion of the detent slot formed in the detent plate is released, and the gear shift is performed. In a shift lever device for an automatic transmission, the shift lever is arranged between a driver's seat and a passenger's seat, and the shift lever is positioned above the shift knob side at a position below the detent pin. A lever portion and a lower lever portion on the transmission side are divided into two parts and are foldably connected by a joint means, and a cover member that covers the bent portion of the shift lever is provided with a cover member that allows the upper lever portion to be bent toward the passenger seat side only in a predetermined range. A stopper is provided at the predetermined range position of the detent plate to block the guide groove and prevent the upper lever from bending. A foldable shift lever device for an automatic transmission, characterized by having a notch through which a detent pin can pass.