WO2014038286A1

WO2014038286A1 - Shift knob mounting structure

Info

Publication number: WO2014038286A1
Application number: PCT/JP2013/068824
Authority: WO
Inventors: 雄三林; 裕康熊川; 昇久白石
Original assignee: オートリブディベロップメントエービー
Priority date: 2012-09-04
Filing date: 2013-07-10
Publication date: 2014-03-13
Also published as: JP5951024B2; JPWO2014038286A1

Abstract

Provided is a shift knob mounting structure in which a shift lever (1) comprises a structure for mounting a shift knob (200) on the upper end section of a lever shaft (100). An insertion hole (251) for inserting the upper end section of the lever shaft (100) is formed in the shift knob (200). The interior of the insertion hole (251) holds a first pin (301) and a second pin (302) that apply force so as to sandwich the side surfaces of the lever shaft (100) from two directions. In addition, a groove (120) that engages with the first pin (301) and a groove (110) that engages with the second pin (302) are formed on the side surfaces of the lever shaft (100). In a state in which the shift knob (200) is mounted on the upper end section of the lever shaft (100), the top surface of the insertion hole (251) is pushed against the upper end surface (101) of the lever shaft (100) by a first reaction force received by the first pin (301) from the groove (120) and by a second reaction force received by the second pin (302) from the groove (110).

Description

Shift knob assembly structure

The present invention relates to a shift knob assembly structure for assembling a shift knob on the upper end portion of a lever shaft.

A shift lever provided in a driver's cab of a car has a structure in which a shift knob for a driver to hold is assembled on an upper end portion of a lever shaft extending upward from a shift device. Conventionally, in a shift lever having such a structure, the shift knob and the lever shaft are fixed by screws with the upper end portion of the lever shaft inserted into the insertion hole formed in the shift knob.

However, the work of assembling the shift knob on the upper end of the lever shaft is often performed in the cab of the automobile, and in this case, it is difficult to secure a sufficient space for screwing using a tool. For this reason, various assembling structures capable of assembling the shift knob without using a tool have been proposed so far.

For example, Patent Document 1 below describes a shift knob assembly structure in which a U-shaped pin held inside a shift knob engages with a groove formed on a side surface of a lever shaft. With such a structure, the U-shaped pin is engaged with the groove only by pushing the shift knob along the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft, and the shift knob is fixed. That is, the shift knob can be assembled to the lever shaft without using a tool.

JP 2004-203163 A

In the shift knob assembly structure described in Patent Document 1, in order to smoothly engage the U-shaped pin with the groove formed on the side surface of the lever shaft, the width of the groove is set to the width of the U-shaped pin. It is necessary to form larger than (thickness). As a result, the position of the U-shaped pin in the groove (position along the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft) is not completely fixed. For this reason, rattling may occur between the lever shaft and the shift knob.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to allow easy assembly by simply pushing the shift knob along the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft, and between the lever shaft and the shift knob. An object of the present invention is to provide a shift knob assembly structure that does not cause rattling.

In order to solve the above problems, a shift knob assembly structure according to the present invention is a structure for assembling a shift knob to an upper end portion of a lever shaft, and an insertion hole for inserting the upper end portion of the lever shaft into the shift knob. The shift knob holds a first pin and a second pin that apply force to the side surface of the lever shaft from two directions inside the insertion hole, and the side surface of the lever shaft. In the state in which the first engagement portion with which the first pin engages and the second engagement portion with which the second pin engages are formed, and the shift knob is assembled to the upper end portion of the lever shaft. The top surface of the insertion hole is caused by the first reaction force that the first pin receives from the first engagement portion and the second reaction force that the second pin receives from the second engagement portion. Serial lever so that the state of being pressed against the upper end surface of the shaft, the first engagement portion and the second engaging portion is characterized by being formed respectively.

The shift knob assembly structure according to the present invention has a structure in which the upper end portion of the lever shaft is inserted into the insertion hole formed in the shift knob. The shift knob holds the first pin and the second pin inside thereof, and in the inside of the fitting hole, a force is applied so that the first pin and the second pin are sandwiched in two directions with respect to the side surface of the lever shaft. . A first engagement portion with which the first pin engages and a second engagement portion with which the second pin engages are formed on the side surface of the lever shaft.

With such a configuration, the first pin engages with the first engagement portion and the second pin engages with the second engagement portion simply by pushing the shift knob along the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft. Thus, according to the present invention, the shift knob can be easily assembled.

Furthermore, in the shift knob assembly structure according to the present invention, the first reaction force received by the first pin from the first engagement portion and the second pin engaged in the second engagement in a state where the shift knob is assembled to the upper end portion of the lever shaft. The first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are formed so that the top surface of the insertion hole is pressed against the upper end surface of the lever shaft by the second reaction force received from the portion.

That is, the first pin and the second pin receive a reaction force from the lever shaft (the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion) by applying a force so as to be sandwiched in two directions with respect to the side surface of the lever shaft. At this time, the reaction force acts so as to push down the shift knob, and the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are respectively set so that the top surface of the insertion hole of the shift knob is pressed against the upper end surface of the lever shaft. Is formed.

As a result, when the shift knob is assembled to the upper end of the lever shaft, the top surface of the insertion hole of the shift knob is always pressed against the upper end surface of the lever shaft. Therefore, rattling between the lever shaft and the shift knob is prevented.

In the shift knob assembly structure according to the present invention, each of the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion is a groove formed along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft. It is also preferable that an inclined portion that is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft is formed at least on the inner surface of the groove.

In this preferred embodiment, a groove is formed on the side surface of the lever shaft along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft. The said groove | channel functions as a 1st engaging part and 2nd engaging part of this invention.

An inclined portion that is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft is formed at least on the inner surface of the groove. For this reason, when the first pin is pressed against the inclined portion of the groove (first engaging portion), the first pin receives a reaction force (first reaction force) in the normal direction of the inclined portion. Similarly, when the second pin is pressed against the inclined portion of the groove (second engaging portion), the second pin receives a reaction force (second reaction force) toward the normal direction of the inclined portion. As a result, the shift knob that holds the first pin and the second pin receives a force so as to be pushed down along the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft, and the top surface of the insertion hole is pressed against the upper end surface of the lever shaft. It becomes.

Thus, according to this preferred embodiment, the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion of the present invention can be formed by a simple method of forming a groove having a predetermined shape on the side surface of the lever shaft.

In the shift knob assembling structure according to the present invention, the first pin and the second pin are connected to each other by a substantially C-shaped elastic body, and constitute a single U-shaped spring as a whole. It is also preferable.

In this preferred mode, the first pin and the second pin are connected to each other by a substantially C-shaped elastic body, and constitute a single U-shaped spring as a whole. That is, the first pin and the second pin are not separated from each other, but are part of one U-shaped spring. For this reason, the number of parts is reduced, and the first pin and the second pin are easily handled when the shift knob is assembled. Further, a force that allows the first pin and the second pin to approach each other (a force that sandwiches the lever shaft) can be easily generated as a restoring force of the U-shaped spring.

In the shift knob assembly structure according to the present invention, in the state before the shift knob is assembled to the upper end portion of the lever shaft, the U-shaped spring is preloaded so as to widen the distance between the first pin and the second pin. It is also preferable that the shift knob is held inside the shift knob.

When the first pin and the second pin are configured as a part of one U-shaped spring, in the state where the shift knob is assembled to the upper end portion of the lever shaft, the distance between the first pin and the second pin is larger than before the assembly. Thus, the lever shaft is sandwiched by the restoring force that increases in accordance with the expansion.

However, from the viewpoint of the shape of the lever shaft, ease of assembly, etc., the above-mentioned expansion (the amount of expansion of the distance between the first pin and the second pin due to the assembly of the shift knob) cannot be taken large. For this reason, the force which pinches | interposes a lever shaft with a 1st pin and a 2nd pin is not fully obtained, and the force which presses the top | upper surface of the insertion hole of a shift knob with respect to the upper end surface of a lever shaft may become weak. As a result, the shift knob may be loose.

In this preferred embodiment, before the shift knob is assembled to the upper end of the lever shaft, the U-shaped spring is held inside the shift knob in a state where a preload is applied so as to widen the distance between the first pin and the second pin. Yes. That is, the restoring force of the U-shaped spring is not 0 even before the shift knob is assembled, and a certain amount of restoring force is applied.

Therefore, when the shift knob is assembled to the upper end of the lever shaft, the lever shaft is sandwiched between the first pin and the second pin even if the distance between the first pin and the second pin due to the assembly of the shift knob is small. The force can be made large enough. As a result, a sufficient force to press the top surface of the insertion hole of the shift knob against the upper end surface of the lever shaft is ensured, and the possibility that the shift knob is rattled can be reduced.

In the shift knob assembly structure according to the present invention, in the state before the shift knob is assembled to the upper end portion of the lever shaft, the interval between the first pin and the second pin may be larger than the width of the upper end of the lever shaft. preferable.

In this preferred embodiment, in the state before the shift knob is assembled to the upper end portion of the lever shaft, that is, in the state where the preload is applied so as to widen the distance between the first pin and the second pin, the distance between the first pin and the second pin is the lever. It is larger than the width of the upper end of the shaft. For this reason, when pushing in the shift knob along the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft, the upper end of the lever shaft can be smoothly inserted between the first pin and the second pin.

In the shift knob assembly structure according to the present invention, the shift knob has a holding member that holds the U-shaped spring with a preload applied, and the holding member is detachable from the shift knob body. Is also preferable.

* Since it is not possible to secure a large working space inside the shift knob, it is not easy to place the U-shaped spring inside the shift knob. In particular, it becomes more difficult to arrange the U-shaped spring in a state where a preload is applied so as to widen the distance between the first pin and the second pin.

In this preferred embodiment, the shift knob has a holding member that holds the U-shaped spring with the preload applied, and the holding member is detachable from the shift knob body. For this reason, the operation | work which attaches a U-shaped spring to a holding member can be easily performed in the state which removed the holding member from the shift knob main body (at the position away from the shift knob main body).

In the shift knob assembly structure according to the present invention, it is also preferable that the shift knob has a position restricting means for restricting the holding position of the U-shaped spring inside the shift knob.

In this preferred embodiment, the shift knob has a position restricting means for restricting the holding position of the U-shaped spring inside the shift knob. For this reason, it can prevent that a U-shaped spring is attached in the state which shifted from a predetermined holding position.

In the shift knob assembly structure according to the present invention, it is also preferable that the position restricting means is a protrusion formed inside the shift knob so as to come into contact with the elastic body from a substantially C-shaped outer peripheral portion.

In this preferred embodiment, the position regulating means is a protrusion formed inside the shift knob so as to come into contact with the elastic body from the substantially C-shaped outer peripheral portion. According to the protrusion formed in this way, the position of the U-shaped spring along the insertion direction of the U-shaped spring can be easily and reliably regulated.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a shift knob assembly structure in which a shift knob can be easily assembled only by being pushed along the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft, and no rattling occurs between the lever shaft and the shift knob. Can do.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the shift knob assembly structure which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the internal structure of a shift knob among the shift knob assembly | attachment structures shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of a holding member among the shift knob assembly | attachment structures shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the U-shaped spring hold | maintained at the holding member shown in FIG. In the shift knob assembly structure shown in FIG. 1, it is sectional drawing for demonstrating the state of a U-shaped spring at the time of attaching a shift knob to the upper end part of a lever shaft. In the shift knob assembly structure shown in FIG. 1, it is sectional drawing for demonstrating the state of a U-shaped spring at the time of attaching a shift knob to the upper end part of a lever shaft.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate the understanding of the description, the same constituent elements in the drawings will be denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and redundant description will be omitted.

First, an outline of the shift knob assembly structure according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The shift lever 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a shift knob assembly structure according to this embodiment. The shift lever 1 is configured by assembling a shift knob 200 on the upper end portion of the lever shaft 100. FIG. 1A shows a state where the lever shaft 100 and the shift knob 200 are separated, that is, a state before the shift knob 200 is assembled to the upper end portion of the lever shaft 100. FIG. 1B shows a state after the shift knob 200 is assembled to the upper end portion of the lever shaft 100.

The lever shaft 100 is a shaft made of a substantially cylindrical metal, and its lower end is connected to an automobile shift device (not shown). The lever shaft 100 has a space formed therein, and the space is open at the upper end and the lower end of the lever shaft 100. The vicinity of the upper end of the lever shaft 100 has a tapered shape, and the diameter is reduced toward the upper end surface 101 from below.

Grooves

110 and 120 are formed below the tapered portion (tapered portion 102) of the side surface of the lever shaft 100.

Each of the groove 110 and the groove 120 is a groove formed along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100, and is the same position (that is, the same height) in the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100. Is formed. As shown in FIG. 1A, the groove 110 and the groove 120 are formed at positions facing each other in the diameter direction of the lever shaft 100. As will be described later, the groove 110 and the groove 120 are grooves formed to engage the U-shaped spring 300 held inside the shift knob 200.

The inner surface of the groove 110 has an inclined portion 111, a hanging portion 112, and a horizontal portion 113 in order from above. The inclined portion 111 is formed so that the normal direction thereof faces downward and away from the central axis of the lever shaft 100 (lower left direction in FIG. 1). That is, it is formed so as to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100. The hanging part 112 is a surface formed so as to extend downward from the lower end of the inclined part 111 along the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100. That is, the normal direction of the drooping portion 112 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100. The horizontal portion 113 is a surface formed so as to extend from the lower end of the hanging portion 112 in a direction perpendicular to the hanging portion 112 (a direction away from the central axis of the lever shaft 100). That is, the normal direction of the horizontal portion 113 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100.

The inner surface of the groove 120 has an inclined portion 121, a drooping portion 122, and a horizontal portion 123 in order from above. The inclined portion 121 is formed such that the normal direction thereof is directed downward and away from the central axis of the lever shaft 100 (lower right direction in FIG. 1). That is, it is formed so as to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100. The hanging portion 122 is a surface formed so as to extend downward from the lower end of the inclined portion 121 along the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100. That is, the normal direction of the drooping portion 122 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100. The horizontal portion 123 is a surface formed so as to extend from the lower end of the drooping portion 122 in a direction perpendicular to the drooping portion 122 (a direction away from the central axis of the lever shaft 100). That is, the normal direction of the horizontal portion 123 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100.

The inclined portion 111 and the inclined portion 121 are formed at the same position in the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100. Similarly, the hanging portion 112 and the hanging portion 122, and the horizontal portion 113 and the horizontal portion 123 are also formed at the same position in the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100.

The shift knob 200 is assembled to the upper end of the lever shaft 100 as described above, and is a portion that is gripped when the driver of the automobile operates the shift lever 1. The shift knob 200 has a shaft holding mechanism 250 (not shown in FIG. 1) for holding the inserted lever shaft 100 therein, and the upper cover 201 and the lower cover 202 are surrounded around the shaft holding mechanism 250. It has a structure that covers. The upper cover 201 is a part that is directly touched by the driver's hand, and can be separated into a plurality of parts and removed. The lower cover 202 is a cover arranged below the upper cover 201, and an opening for inserting the lever shaft 100 is formed at the lower end thereof.

In the lower part of the shaft holding mechanism 250 (located inside the lower cover 202), an insertion hole 251 opened downward is formed. The insertion hole 251 is a hole for inserting the upper end portion of the lever shaft 100. The fitting hole 251 is a circular hole, and the inner diameter thereof is formed to be slightly larger than the diameter of the lever shaft 100 (the diameter in the portion excluding the tapered portion 102, the groove 110, and the groove 120).

A lock switch LS is disposed on the side surface of the upper cover 201 of the shift knob 200. The lock switch LS is a switch for switching between a locked state in which the operation of the shift lever 1 is restricted and an unlocked state in which the operation of the shift lever 1 is allowed. A rod-shaped transmission bar (not shown) is disposed in the internal space of the lever shaft 100, and the operation of the lock switch LS is transmitted to the lower shift device via the transmission bar. For example, once the lock switch LS is pressed, the transmission bar moves downward. In the shift device, the movement is detected, and the shift lever 1 is locked. After that, when the lock switch LS is pressed again, the transmission bar moves downward again. In the shift device, the movement is detected and the shift lever 1 is returned to the unlocked state.

A specific structure of the shaft holding mechanism 250 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A is a view for explaining the internal structure of the shift knob 200, and shows a state where the upper cover 201 and the lower cover 202 are removed from the shift knob 200 and the shaft holding mechanism 250 is exposed. FIG. 2B shows a state where a holding member 320 (described later) is removed from the shaft holding mechanism 250 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shaft holding mechanism 250 includes a main body 260 and a holding member 320. The main body 260 includes a switch mechanism storage unit 270, a holding member storage unit 280, and a shaft storage unit 290.

The switch mechanism storage unit 270 is a part that stores a conversion mechanism (not shown) for converting an operation performed on the lock switch LS into an operation (movement) of the transmission bar. The switch mechanism storage unit 270 is formed with a substantially rectangular space that opens toward the side surface of the main body 260, and the conversion device is stored through the opening. In addition, since the various mechanisms known until now can be employ | adopted as a conversion mechanism, the specific description is abbreviate | omitted.

The holding member storage portion 280 is disposed below the switch mechanism storage portion 270 and is a portion that stores the holding member 320. The holding member storage portion 280 is formed with a substantially rectangular space that opens toward the side surface of the main body portion 260. A partition plate 271 is provided between the holding member storage portion 280 and the switch mechanism storage portion 270, and a notch 272 is formed in the partition plate 271. As will be described later, a part (upper part) of the fitting hole 251 is formed inside the holding member storage portion 280. The partition plate 271 is a plate with which the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft 100 abuts from below. The notch 272 is formed on the partition plate 271 so that a transmission bar (not shown) that protrudes further upward (toward the switch mechanism housing portion 270) from the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft 100 does not interfere with the partition plate 271. Is partly cut out.

The shaft storage portion 290 is disposed below the holding member storage portion 280, and a substantially cylindrical space having an open lower end is formed therein. The space forms a part (lower part) of the fitting hole 251, and the upper end thereof is opened to communicate with the space in the holding member storage portion 280. That is, the insertion hole 251 is formed from the lower end of the holding member storage portion 280 to the lower surface 273 of the partition plate 271. For this reason, the lower surface 273 of the partition plate 271 can also be referred to as the top surface of the insertion hole 251.

When the shift knob 200 is assembled to the upper end portion of the lever shaft 100, the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft 100 is inserted into the insertion hole 251 from the lower end of the shaft storage portion 290. Thereafter, the shift knob 200 is pushed downward along the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100, and finally, the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft 100 comes into contact with the lower surface 273 of the partition plate 271 (the top surface of the insertion hole 251). It becomes a state.

Subsequently, the holding member 320 stored in the holding member storage portion 280 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the appearance of the holding member 320, and shows the appearance when the holding member 320 is viewed from below.

As shown in FIGS. 2B and 3, the holding member 320 is a member for holding the U-shaped spring 300, and includes a first protrusion 321, a second protrusion 322, and a third protrusion formed on the lower surface. The U-shaped spring 300 is held by the protrusion 323.

The U-shaped spring 300 is a spring formed of a metal having a predetermined elastic modulus, and includes a substantially linear first pin 301, a substantially linear second pin 302 arranged symmetrically with the first pin 301, It has a substantially C-shaped bent portion 303 connecting these one ends. Since the U-shaped spring 300 has such a shape, when the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 are deformed to move away from each other, a restoring force is applied in a direction in which the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 are brought closer to each other. appear.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first protrusion 321 is in contact with the bent portion 303 on the outer side (substantially C-shaped outer peripheral portion) of the bent portion 303. Further, the second protrusion 322 is in contact with the bent portion 303 on the inner side (substantially C-shaped inner peripheral portion) of the bent portion 303. That is, the central portion of the bent portion 303 is held in a state of being sandwiched between the first protrusion 321 and the second protrusion 322.

The third protrusion 323 is sandwiched between the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 in the vicinity of the tip portions of the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 (near the tip portion on the side opposite to the position of the bent portion 303). It is. At this time, the width of the third protrusion 323, that is, the distance between the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 is based on the distance between the U-spring 300 in a state where it does not receive external force (the state shown in FIG. 4). Is also getting wider.

For this reason, the third protrusion 323 is sandwiched by the restoring force of the U-shaped spring 300. In other words, the U-shaped spring 300 is in a state where a preload is applied so as to widen the distance between the first pin 301 and the second pin 302. At this time, the distance between the central axis of the first pin 301 and the central axis of the second pin 302 is larger than the width of the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft 100.

An opening 324 is formed at the center of the holding member 320. The opening 324 is formed for inserting the lever shaft 100. That is, in the state where the holding member 320 is stored in the holding member storage portion 280, the center position of the opening 324 is on the central axis of the internal space of the shaft storage portion 290. The opening 324 forms a part of the fitting hole 251.

As shown in FIG. 3, the center of the opening 324 is located at the center of the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 that are arranged substantially parallel to each other, and the distance between the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 is as follows. It is smaller than the inner diameter of the opening 324. As a result, when viewed along the central axis of the opening 324, both the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 are held at positions where a part thereof overlaps the opening 324.

As is clear from FIG. 3 and the above description, the U-shaped spring 300 held by the holding member 320 is allowed to be deformed in the direction in which the distance between the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 is increased. Therefore, when the lever shaft 100 is inserted into the opening 324 from below, the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 that are in contact with the tapered portion 102 of the lever shaft 100 are displaced so that the distance between them increases. It becomes.

In this way, the holding member 320 in a state of holding the U-shaped spring 300 is stored from the side surface of the main body 260 with respect to the holding member storage 280. At that time, as shown in FIG. 2A, the U-shaped spring 300 is inserted from the tip end side of the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 (the side opposite to the position of the bent portion 303).

The position of the holding member 320 is regulated by abutting against the wall surface defining the internal space of the holding member storage portion 280. That is, the holding member 320 stored in the holding member storage unit 280 is placed on the upper wall surface, the lower wall surface, the left wall surface, the right wall surface, and the rear wall surface in the insertion direction that define the internal space of the holding member storage unit 280. They are in contact with each other. Since the holding member 320 is also in contact with the inner surface of the upper cover 201, the movement in the direction in which the holding member 320 is pulled out from the holding member storage portion 280 is also restricted. With such a configuration, the U-shaped spring 300 is fixed at a predetermined position in the main body 260.

Subsequently, the state of the U-shaped spring 300 when the shift knob 200 is assembled to the upper end portion of the lever shaft 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. 5 and 6, the illustration of the conversion mechanism housed in the upper cover 201, the lower cover 202, and the switch mechanism housing portion 270 of the shift knob 200 is omitted. Further, the transmission bar protruding upward from the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft 100 is also not shown. 5 and 6 show a cross section when cut by a plane that includes the central axis of the insertion hole 251 and that is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the holding member 320.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the upper end portion of the lever shaft 100 is fitted into the fitting hole 251 and the shift knob 200 is being pushed down along the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100. In FIG. 5, the height of the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 is substantially equal to the height of the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft 100, and the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 are in contact with the tapered portion 102 of the lever shaft 100. It shows the state just before.

As already described, in the U-shaped spring 300 held by the holding member 320, the distance between the central axis of the first pin 301 and the central axis of the second pin 302 is larger than the width of the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft 100. Is also getting bigger. Therefore, when the shift knob 200 is further pushed down from the state shown in FIG. 5, the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 come into contact with the tapered portion 102, and the lever shaft 100 is interposed between the first pin 301 and the second pin 302. The upper end of is smoothly inserted.

When the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 are not substantially parallel, the distance between the central axis of the first pin 301 and the central axis of the second pin 302 in the cross section shown in FIG. What is necessary is just to become larger than the width | variety of the upper end surface 101 of. That is, in the case of cutting along a plane that includes the central axis of the insertion hole 251 and is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the holding member 320, the central axis of the first pin 301 and the central axis of the second pin 302 It is sufficient that the interval is larger than the width of the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft 100.

Thereafter, as the shift knob 200 is further pushed down, the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 are pushed and expanded by the tapered portion 102. As a result, the restoring force of the U-shaped spring 300 (the force that causes the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 to sandwich the side surface of the lever shaft 100 from two directions) gradually increases.

When the shift knob 200 is further pushed down, the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 contact the inclined portion 121 of the groove 120 and the inclined portion 111 of the groove 110, respectively, beyond the lower end of the tapered portion 102. Immediately thereafter, the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft 100 comes into contact with the lower surface 273 of the partition plate 271 (the top surface of the insertion hole 251), and the shift knob 200 cannot be pushed down any further. At this point, the assembly of the shift knob 200 to the upper end portion of the lever shaft 100 is completed (FIG. 6). In addition, the space | interval of the 1st pin 301 in the state shown in FIG. 6 and the 2nd pin 302 is wider than the space | interval of both in the state shown in FIG.3 and FIG.5.

When the first pin 301 contacts the inclined portion 121 (at the same time as the second pin 302 contacts the inclined portion 111), the first pin 301 hits the inclined portion 121 (second pin 302). A sound is generated (by hitting the ramp 111). With this sound, the operator can recognize that the assembly of the shift knob 200 has been completed.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the first pin 301 is in contact with the inclined portion 121 of the groove 120 and is not in contact with the hanging portion 122 or the horizontal portion 123. The first pin 301 is pressed against the inclined portion 121 by the restoring force of the U-shaped spring 300 and receives a reaction force (first reaction force) from the inclined portion 121. The direction of the first reaction force is the normal direction of the inclined portion 121, that is, the downward direction and the direction away from the central axis of the lever shaft 100 (the lower right direction in FIG. 6). Accordingly, the first reaction force acts to push down the shift knob 200, and the top surface of the insertion hole 251 is pressed against the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft 100.

Similarly, the second pin 302 is in contact with the inclined portion 111 of the groove 110 and is not in contact with the hanging portion 112 or the horizontal portion 113. The second pin 302 is pressed against the inclined portion 111 by the restoring force of the U-shaped spring 300 and receives a reaction force (second reaction force) from the inclined portion 111. The direction of the second reaction force is the normal direction of the inclined portion 111, that is, the direction downward and away from the central axis of the lever shaft 100 (the lower left direction in FIG. 6). Accordingly, the second reaction force acts to push down the shift knob 200, and the top surface of the insertion hole 251 is pressed against the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft 100.

As described above, in the shift lever 1 according to the present embodiment, the first pin 301 is engaged with the groove 120 (first engagement portion) simply by pushing the shift knob 200 along the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft 100, The second pin 302 engages with the groove 110 (second engagement portion). Therefore, the shift knob 200 can be easily assembled.

The first reaction force received by the first pin 301 from the inner surface of the groove 120 and the second reaction force received by the second pin 302 from the inner surface of the groove 110 when the shift knob 200 is assembled to the upper end of the lever shaft 100. Accordingly, the groove 110 and the groove 120 are formed so that the top surface of the insertion hole 251 is pressed against the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft 100.

As a result, when the shift knob 200 is assembled to the upper end portion of the lever shaft 100, the top surface of the insertion hole 251 of the shift knob 200 is always pressed against the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft. Therefore, rattling between the lever shaft 100 and the shift knob 200 is prevented.

In the present embodiment, the U-shaped spring 300 is preloaded so as to widen the distance between the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 before the shift knob 200 is assembled to the upper end of the lever shaft 100. It is held by the holding member 320 in a state. For this reason, in the state where the shift knob 200 is assembled to the upper end portion of the lever shaft 100, the first pin 301 and the second pin 302 due to the assembly of the shift knob 200 have a small amount of enlargement, but the first A force for sandwiching the lever shaft 100 between the pin 301 and the second pin 302 is relatively large. As a result, a sufficient force to press the lower surface 273 of the partition plate 271 (the top surface of the insertion hole 251) against the upper end surface 101 of the lever shaft 100 is ensured, and the possibility that the shift knob 200 is rattled is reduced. Yes.

Moreover, in this embodiment, it has the holding member 320 which hold | maintains the U-shaped spring 300 in the state which added the preload, and the said holding member 320 can be attached or detached from the shift knob main body (main-body part 260 of the shaft holding mechanism 250). It has become. For this reason, the operation | work which attaches the U-shaped spring 300 to the holding member 320 can be easily performed in the state which removed the holding member 320 from the shift knob main body (at the position away from the shift knob main body).

Further, the holding member 320 is formed with a first protrusion 321 that comes into contact with the bent portion 303 of the U-shaped spring 300 from a substantially C-shaped outer peripheral portion. The position of the U-shaped spring 300 along the insertion direction of the U-shaped spring 300 (equal to the direction of insertion of the holding member 320) is easily and reliably regulated by the first protrusion 321.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these specific examples. In other words, those specific examples that have been appropriately modified by those skilled in the art are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they have the characteristics of the present invention. For example, the elements included in each of the specific examples described above and their arrangement, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, and the like are not limited to those illustrated, but can be changed as appropriate. Moreover, each element with which each embodiment mentioned above is provided can be combined as long as technically possible, and the combination of these is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as it includes the features of the present invention.

1: Shift lever 100: Lever shaft 101: Upper end surface 102: Tapered portion 110, 120: Groove 111, 121: Inclined portion 112, 122: Hanging portion 113, 123: Horizontal portion 200: Shift knob 201: Upper cover 202: Lower cover 250: Shaft holding mechanism 251: Insertion hole 260: Body portion 270: Switch mechanism housing portion 271: Partition plate 272: Notch 273: Lower surface 280: Holding member housing portion 290: Shaft housing portion 300: U-shaped spring 301: First Pin 302: Second pin 303: Bending part 320: Holding member 321: First protrusion 322: Second protrusion 323: Third protrusion 324: Opening LS: Lock switch

Claims

A structure for assembling a shift knob at the upper end of the lever shaft,
The shift knob is formed with a fitting hole for fitting the upper end of the lever shaft.
The shift knob holds a first pin and a second pin that apply a force so as to be sandwiched from two directions with respect to the side surface of the lever shaft inside the insertion hole,
A side surface of the lever shaft is formed with a first engagement portion that engages with the first pin and a second engagement portion that engages with the second pin,
In the state where the shift knob is assembled to the upper end portion of the lever shaft, the first reaction force received by the first pin from the first engagement portion, and the second reaction force received by the second pin from the second engagement portion. The first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are formed so that the top surface of the insertion hole is pressed against the upper end surface of the lever shaft by two reaction forces. Shift knob assembly structure characterized by
Each of the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion is a groove formed along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lever shaft,
2. The shift knob assembly structure according to claim 1, wherein an inclined portion that is inclined with respect to a longitudinal direction of the lever shaft is formed on at least an upper portion of the inner surface of each of the grooves.
The first pin and the second pin are connected to each other by a substantially C-shaped elastic body at one end, and constitute one U-shaped spring as a whole. 2. Shift knob assembly structure according to 2.
In the state before the shift knob is assembled to the upper end of the lever shaft,
4. The shift knob according to claim 3, wherein the U-shaped spring is held inside the shift knob in a state in which a preload is applied so as to widen a distance between the first pin and the second pin. Assembly structure.
In the state before the shift knob is assembled to the upper end of the lever shaft,
The shift knob assembly structure according to claim 4, wherein a distance between the first pin and the second pin is larger than a width of an upper end of the lever shaft.
The shift knob is
6. The shift knob assembly structure according to claim 5, further comprising a holding member that holds the U-shaped spring in a state where a preload is applied, and the holding member is detachable from the shift knob body. .
The shift knob assembly structure according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the shift knob has a position restricting means for restricting a holding position of the U-shaped spring inside the shift knob. .
The shift knob assembly structure according to claim 7, wherein the position restricting means is a protrusion formed inside the shift knob so as to come into contact with the elastic body from a substantially C-shaped outer peripheral portion. .