KR101186483B1

KR101186483B1 - Shift Lever Assembly Capable of In-Situ Rotation and Linear Movement

Info

Publication number: KR101186483B1
Application number: KR20100066787A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김동원
Original assignee: 경창산업주식회사
Priority date: 2010-07-12
Filing date: 2010-07-12
Publication date: 2012-09-27
Also published as: KR20120006189A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a shift lever assembly of an automatic transmission vehicle, wherein the shift mode can be changed through in-situ rotation and linear movement of the lever.

Description

Shift Lever Assembly Capable of In-Situ Rotation and Linear Movement

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shift lever assembly for automatic shifting of a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission, and more particularly, to a shift lever assembly which can be miniaturized and has a small stroke of shift operation.

The driver's seat of the vehicle equipped with the automatic transmission is equipped with a shift lever assembly for adjusting the shift mode of the automatic transmission. Unlike the manual transmission, the automatic transmission does not require the driver to operate the shift while driving, but the basic shift modes such as parking (P), reverse (R), neutral (N), and driving (D) need to be operated. to be.

The shift lever for the first generation automatic transmission was able to operate the shift mode by making the lever linearly move forward and backward of the vehicle. In the case of such a lever, in order to prevent erroneous operation, it was common to design an additional operation such as pressing a button mounted on the lever to operate between specific shift modes.

In order to alleviate the inconvenience of pressing a button, a method called so-called “gate type” is used. In the gate type, the operation path between specific shift modes needs not to be a straight line but additional path manipulation along the left and right directions of the driver. The method was adopted.

Recently, automatic transmissions have been widely adopted to allow a driver to select a manual transmission mode and shift like a manual transmission. This manual shift mode is configured so that the manual shift mode can be selected by additional operations such as pushing or pulling sideways in the driving mode (D), and then selecting the up (+) / down (-) manual shift mode. Doing.

Efforts have been made to reduce the operating stroke when the driver operates the shift lever assembly and to reduce the space occupied by the shift lever assembly in the driver's seat. As part of such an effort, there is a situation in which a configuration such that the parking mode P is selected is simply pressed by pressing a button without a separate position, or configured in a dial form. However, in the case of the dial form, for example, the XF series of Jaguar Cars Limited in the UK, since it is a simple dialing method, it is difficult to implement the manual shift mode directly. Thus, the manual shift mode is implemented separately through a paddle shift method mounted on the steering wheel, requiring an additional mounting structure and causing an increase in the number of parts.

An object of the present invention is to provide a shift lever assembly which is easy in shift mode operation of an automatic transmission and can reduce a space occupied by a driver's seat.

The shift lever assembly for vehicle shift mode selection according to the present invention comprises: (1) a first shift path including a first shift mode position, a second shift mode position, and a linear motion origin position; and (2) a third shift mode. A second shift path including a position, a fourth shift mode position and the linear motion origin position, and (3) rotatable in place along the first shift path and capable of linear motion along the second shift path. It includes a lever.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the first shift path further includes a fifth shift mode position. And a third shift path including a sixth shift mode position, a seventh shift mode position, and the fifth shift mode position, wherein the lever is capable of linear movement along the third shift path.

The first shift mode position is the parking mode position, the second shift mode position is the neutral mode position, the third shift mode position is the driving mode position, the fourth shift mode position is the reverse mode position, and the fifth shift mode position is the manual shift mode selection The possible position, the sixth shift mode position, and the seventh shift mode position may be configured to be the first stage downshift mode position.

The shift lever assembly according to the present invention comprises (1) a lever, (2) a rotational support fixed to the lever so as to rotate together in accordance with the rotation of the lever in the lower part of the lever, and (3) at both sides of the rotational support. And a pair of hinge shaft members disposed in contact with the rotatable support and facing each other with the rotatable support interposed therebetween. A predetermined number of spherical contact portions, each of which is spherically contacted by the end of the hinge shaft, are formed around the rotation support portion.

And a sensor unit provided with a hall sensor for detecting rotation of the lever and an optical sensor for detecting a linear movement of the lever having the hinge axis as a rotation axis.

The rotation support may be configured to provide a magnet for interaction with the hall sensor.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention further includes a detent cover including a detent cover, a detent pin supported by the detent cover, and an elastic member elastically supporting the detent pin. A plurality of grooves are formed at a lower portion of the rotatable support part corresponding to the shift mode position according to the rotation of the lever, and the detent pin contacts the groove, and when the lever rotates into the adjacent groove, It is provided to move.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lever further comprises a return means for returning the hinge axis to its original position after rotating the hinge axis. The return means may be a second groove formed to be connected to the groove on the outside, and the second groove may be formed as an inclined portion having a deeper depth toward the groove side.

In the shift lever assembly according to the present invention, since the shift mode can be selected along the first shift path capable of rotating in place and the second shift path and / or the third shift path capable of linear movement, the automatic transmission lever can be miniaturized, The advantage is that the shoulders or wrists are not overwhelmed when the shift lever is operated.

1 is a perspective view of a shift lever assembly according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the shift lever assembly of FIG. 1. FIG.
3 is a cross-sectional view of the shift lever assembly according to the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view of the shift lever assembly seen from the perpendicular direction of FIG.
5 is a plan view of the linear motion sensor unit.
6 is a plan view of the bottom of the rotary support;

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 shows a perspective view of a shift lever assembly 1 according to the invention, and FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view showing the main parts. Hereinafter, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the shift mode includes a first shift path including parking (P), neutral (N), null mode (Null), and manual shift mode (M), and linear motion in null mode (Null). The case of shifting to driving (D) and reversing (R) through and +/- shifting through linear motion in manual shift mode (M) is described, but the scope of the present invention is interpreted in terms of the number of shift modes. Is not.

The shift lever assembly 1 according to the present invention comprises a lever 10, a rotation support 20 fixed to the lever so as to rotate together in accordance with the rotation of the lever 10 at the bottom of the lever 10, and a pair of Hinge shaft members 30a and 30b, and linear motion sensor unit 40 is independent of the movement of the lever 10 and the rotary support 20. As an external part of the shift lever assembly 1, the base bracket 100, the upper housing 200, the lower housing 250, and the boots, which are fixed to the frame of the vehicle by the fastening member in the coupling hole 105, are mounted. 270 and a slider 300. Also provided is a connector assembly 450 for cable connection for electrical signal communication with the outside and a solenoid valve 400 for shift lock operation.

A knob 15 is mounted on an upper end of the lever 10, and a shift lock pin 17 is mounted on a lower end of the lever 10. Knob 15 is a portion that a user holds for lever 10 operation, and shift lock pin 17 is a portion provided for shift lock operation. A display window 150 may be installed above the knob 15 to display the shift mode. A lower end of the shift lock pin 17 is provided with a locking portion (not shown) which is provided to engage the shift lock member 500 described later.

The lever 10 passes through the central opening of the linear motion sensor unit 40, and the linear motion sensor unit 40 is fastened to the base bracket 100 by a fastening means through the coupling hole 45. The linear motion sensor unit 40 is provided with optical sensors 41a, 41b, 43a, 43b capable of detecting the linear motion of the lever 10 (shown in detail in FIG. 5).

3 shows a first cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the shift lever assembly 1 according to the invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of hinge shaft members 30a and 30b are disposed to contact the rotary support 20 on both sides of the rotary support 20 and face each other with the rotary support 20 interposed therebetween. It is. As used herein, the term “in-situ rotation” means that the lever 10 rotates in place as shown in the direction A of FIG. 1 with the magnetic axis in the longitudinal direction as the rotation center. And a spherical contact portion 120 in which spherical ends 35a and 35b of the pair of hinge shaft members 30a and 30b are spherical in contact with the rotary support 20. have. As used herein, the term “spherical contact” means that the spherical ends 35a and 35b of the hinge shaft members 30a and 30b are in intimate contact with each other with the spherical surface of the spherical contact portion 120. It does not have any, as long as the position of the lever 10 can be smoothly rotated by contact with each other. In addition, the rotation support 20 and the hinge shaft members 30a and 30b are preferably made of a plastic material to prevent contact wear and noise. In another embodiment of the present invention, the circumference of the lower surface of the rotary support 20 such that the hinge shaft members 30a and 30b are partitioned from each other so that a plurality of spherical contact portions that can be caught in each shift position according to the rotation of the rotary support 20 are separated. It is possible to be formed along. In other words, each spherical contact portion may be formed to be more concave inward.

Grooves that the detent pins 93 contact are formed on the bottom surface 115 of the rotation support part 20. The detent pin 93 is preferably provided in a pair facing each other with the lever 10 interposed therebetween, the lower end of the detent pin 93 is a spring member 95 is connected to the base bracket 100 Is provided. A portion of the detent pin 93 and a portion of the spring member 95 are preferably accommodated in the detent cover 90.

According to the shift mode according to the present embodiment, a total of eight grooves and four pairs of grooves are formed. The groove is composed of parking mode grooves 8a and 8b, neutral mode grooves 7a and 7b, null mode grooves 6a and 6b (Null Mode Groove), and manual shift mode grooves 5a and 5b. Taking the parking mode grooves 8a and 8b as an example, a second groove 51a is further formed outside the groove, the depth of the second groove 51a is formed to be shallower than the groove 8a, and the groove 8a is formed. It is preferable to form the inclined surface which deepens as it progresses to the side). The second groove 51a may be formed in all the mode grooves as shown in Fig. 6, or may be formed only in the groove of the mode in which the linear shift motion is set.

An inclined pressing surface 65 is provided below the shift lock release switch 60, which is provided to abut the inclined surface 75 of the release lever 70. The release lever 70 is rotatably provided by the release pin 80, and the end of the release lever 70 is arranged to be caught by the intermediate jaw of the shift lock member 500.

Next, the operation of the shift lever assembly 1 according to the present invention will be described.

In the initial parking mode P, the engaging portion (not shown) of the shift lock pin 17 is caught by the shift lock member 500 so that the shift lever is inoperative. When the shift lock release switch 60 is pressed or braked to release the shift lock state, the release lever 70 pushes the middle jaw of the shift lock member 500 in the right direction in FIG. 3 or the solenoid 400 Is operated to release the locking state of the engaging portion of the shift lock member 500 and the shift lock pin 17. Structures and operations related to the shift lock release are not included in the scope of the present invention, and various known structures and operations may be employed.

When the shift lock is released, the driver can rotate the lever 10 in the parking mode (P) position to the neutral mode (N), null mode (Null), and manual shift mode (M) by turning in place. . When the lever 10 rotates in place, the rotation support 20 rotates in place with the lever 10. In-situ rotation of the rotation support part 20 becomes possible by spherical contact with the spherical contact part 120 formed around the lower surface of the rotation support part 20, and the hinge shaft members 30a and 30b. Each time the rotation support unit 20 rotates in position and is positioned in each shift mode, the detent pin 93 moves to grooves corresponding to the shift mode positions, respectively, to give the operator a sense of theft.

In the exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the driving mode D and the reversing mode R may be shifted through the linear motion (direction B shown in FIG. 1) in the null mode. The linear movement of the lever 10 is made around the hinge shaft members 30a and 30b. When the lever 10 is linearly moved from the null mode to the driving mode D, the lever 10 passes the light sensors 41a and 41b. The optical sensors 41a and 41b sense the movement of the lever 10 and transmit a signal to the transmission control device (not shown) indicating that the lever 10 has linearly moved. When the lever 10 linearly moves to the travel mode selection position, the detent pin 93 moves to the second groove 51a of the null mode groove 6a. As described above, the second groove 51a is Since it is formed to be inclined deeper toward the null mode groove 6a, it returns to the null mode groove 6a which is in place again. When the lever 10 is linearly moved in the reverse mode R, the optical sensors 43a and 43b of the linear motion sensor unit 40 detect this and transmit a detection signal to the transmission controller. In the reverse mode linear motion, the detent pin 93 moves to the second groove 51a of the null mode groove 6b, but also returns to the null mode groove 7b after the mode selection.

When the lever 10 is rotated in the manual shift mode (M), the detent pin 93 is engaged in the manual shift mode grooves 5a and 5b, and described in relation to the driving mode (D) and the reverse mode (R) operation. As a linear motion.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims below and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments and / or accompanying drawings described above. In addition, it should be clearly understood that improvements, modifications and / or modifications apparent to those skilled in the art of the invention described in the claims are included in the scope of the present invention.

10: lever
20: rotary support
40: linear motion sensor
93: Detent Pin
100: base bracket

Claims

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A shift lever assembly for shift mode selection of a vehicle, comprising:
Lever,
A rotary support fixed to the lever so as to rotate together at the bottom of the lever in accordance with the rotation of the lever;
A pair of hinge shaft members disposed on both sides of the rotatable support part to be in contact with the rotatable support part and to face each other with the rotatable support part interposed therebetween,
A predetermined number of spherical contact portions, each of which is spherical in contact with the end of the hinge shaft, is formed around the rotatable support portion.
Shift lever assembly.

The method according to claim 5,
And a return means for the lever to return to its original position after rotating the hinge axis to the rotation axis to make a straight shift.
Shift lever assembly.

The method according to claim 5 or 6,
Further comprising a sensor unit provided with an optical sensor for detecting a linear shift of the lever having the hinge axis as the rotation axis,
Shift lever assembly.

The method according to claim 5 or 6,
And further comprising a detent cover including a detent cover, a detent pin supported on the detent cover, and an elastic member elastically supporting the detent pin.
A plurality of grooves are formed in the lower portion of the rotatable support part corresponding to the shift mode position according to the rotation of the lever.
The detent pin is provided in contact with the groove to move to an adjacent groove when the lever is rotated in place;
Shift lever assembly.

The method according to claim 8,
The return means,
A second groove formed to be connected to the groove on the outside;
The second groove is formed of an inclined portion that is deeper toward the groove side,
Shift lever assembly.