WO2022120815A1

WO2022120815A1 - Electronic gear shifter

Info

Publication number: WO2022120815A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/135826
Authority: WO
Inventors: 叶继海; 徐侃; 方磊
Original assignee: 法可赛(太仓)汽车配件有限公司
Priority date: 2020-12-11
Filing date: 2020-12-11
Publication date: 2022-06-16
Also published as: CN116888391A

Abstract

An electronic gear shifter, comprising: a housing (1); a PCB (2) provided at the bottom of the housing (1), multiple gear contacts (201) arranged in a preset direction (L) being provided on the PCB; a toggle knob (3) having the lower end accommodated in the housing (1), being capable of moving in the preset direction (L) relative to the housing (1), and triggering the gear contacts (201) in the moving process; an upper cover (4) provided on the upper end of the housing (1) and provided with an opening (401) extending in the preset direction (L), the toggle knob (3) passing through the opening (401); a drag reduction member (5) provided on at least one side of the toggle knob (3) in the preset direction (L), the drag reduction member (5) being sandwiched between the toggle knob (3) and the upper cover (4); a profiled member (6) provided in the housing (1), the profiled member (6) having an uneven profiled surface; and a slider (9) provided between the profiled member (6) and the lower end of the toggle knob (3), the lower end of the slider (9) abutting against the profiled surface and being capable of sliding on the profiled surface, an elastic piece (10) being provided between the slider (9) and the toggle knob (3), and the elastic piece (10) applying, to the slider (9), a force enabling the lower end of the slider to abut against the profiled surface. Thus, the structure of the electronic gear shifter is simplified.

Description

electronic shifter

technical field

The present application relates to the field of shifters, and in particular, to an electronic shifter.

Background technique

The dial-type shift is a kind of electronic shifter, which relies on the movement of the dial to realize the triggering of the shift signal. After the gear shift is in place, the dial button is reset to the stable position with the lowest potential energy under the action of the first elastic member.

In addition, in order to provide a shift feel, such shifters are generally provided with profiling parts, and the profiling parts are provided with uneven profiling surfaces. The dial button is provided with a sliding block that can move relative to it, and a second elastic member is provided between the sliding block and the dial button. The force exerted by the second elastic member on the slider keeps its end always abutting on the profiling surface. During the movement of the dial button, the slider is driven to slide on the uneven profiling surface, and the profiling surface exerts a reaction force on the slider, and the reaction force is fed back to the human hand through the dial button, so that the user can obtain a shift feel.

Therefore, the structure of a dial-type electronic shifter combining the above two functions is usually complicated. How to simplify the structure is an urgent technical problem to be solved.

Application content

In view of this, the embodiments of the present application generally provide an electronic shifter, which can better solve the above problems.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the present application provides the following technical solutions.

An electronic shifter, comprising:

case;

a PCB board arranged at the bottom of the casing, the PCB board is provided with a plurality of gear contacts arranged along a preset direction;

a toggle button whose lower end is accommodated in the casing, the toggle button can move relative to the shell along the preset direction, and the toggle button triggers the gear contact during the movement;

an upper cover provided on the upper end of the casing, the upper cover is provided with an opening extending along the preset direction, and the dial button is penetrated in the opening;

a drag reducing member arranged on at least one side of the dial button along the preset direction, the drag reducing member is sandwiched between the dial button and the upper cover;

a profiling part provided in the housing, the profiling part having an uneven profiling surface;

A sliding block arranged between the profiling part and the lower end of the dial button, the lower end of the sliding block abuts on the profiling surface and can slide on the profiling surface; the sliding block is connected to the profiling surface. An elastic piece is arranged between the toggle buttons, and the elastic piece exerts a force on the slider to make its lower end abut on the profiling surface.

In the embodiment of the present application, the up and down movement of the slider is reacted to the dial button through the elastic member, so that the user can obtain a shift feel. At the same time, the reaction force exerted by the elastic member on the dial button can keep the dial button always moving upward, so that the drag reducing member is pressed between the dial button and the upper cover. In this way, only one elastic member is provided, and the shifting feel and the pressing setting of the drag reducing member can be achieved at the same time. Therefore, compared with the prior art, the electronic shifter of the embodiment of the present application can omit an elastic member, and the structure of the electronic shifter is simplified.

In addition, the reverse force exerted by the elastic member on the toggle button is a one-way force, so that the drag reducing member can only be provided on one side of the toggle button, that is, the upper side. Compared with the known embodiment in the prior art in which a group of ball structures are arranged on the upper and lower sides of the toggle button, the drag reducing member disposed on one side of the toggle button is also omitted, and the structure is further simplified.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of an electronic shifter according to an embodiment of the application;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the assembly between the knob, the drag reducing component and the upper cover in Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is the front view of Fig. 2;

4 is a top view of the electronic shifter according to an embodiment of the application;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the C-C section in FIG. 4 .

6A to 6C are cross-sectional views of section B-B in FIG. 4 .

Detailed ways

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6C , an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic shifter, including: a casing 1 , a PCB board 2 arranged at the bottom of the casing 1 , and a dial button 3 whose lower end is accommodated in the casing 1 , the upper cover 4 arranged on the upper end of the housing 1 , the drag reducing component 5 sandwiched between the dial button 3 and the upper cover 4 , and the profiling component 6 arranged in the housing 1 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the housing 1 is generally in the shape of a hollow elongated body and is intended to be installed in a vehicle cab. The upper surface of the PCB board 2 is provided with a plurality of gear contacts 201 arranged along the preset direction L. The gear contacts 201 are specifically micro switches, which are arranged on the PCB board 2 and are electrically connected to the PCB board 2 . And when triggered, the signal is provided to the PCB board 2 to realize the gear adjustment.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the gear contacts 201 are specifically four groups, corresponding to P, R, N, and D gears respectively. It is worth noting that the gear contacts 201 of the R, N, and D gears are triggered by the dial button 3, and the gear contacts 201 of the P gear are triggered by the buttons. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 , the upper end of the housing 1 is provided with a cover plate 7 , and the cover plate 7 is provided with a circular first through hole 701 near the front end, and the first through hole 701 is used for installation and startup Key 701a (START) is pressed. The cover plate 7 is provided with a rectangular second through hole 702 at a position near the rear end, and the second through hole 702 is used for installing the automatic parking button 702a (AVH). A third through hole 703 is provided between the first through hole 701 and the second through hole 702 , and the third through hole 703 is used for installing the P-block button 703a. Both the AVH button 702a and the P-block button 703a are illuminated by backlight to facilitate user identification and operation. An elongated opening 704 is provided between the first through hole 701 and the third through hole 703. The elongated opening 704 corresponds to the opening 401 on the upper cover 4, and is used for the upper end of the dial button 3 to protrude to facilitate the The user operates the dial button 3 to move back and forth. Between the first through hole 701 and the elongated opening 704 is a panel 705 , both of which are illuminated by backlight, and the panel 705 is provided with gear marks such as R, N, and D. When in a certain gear (eg D gear), the corresponding gear mark is illuminated.

The operation principle of the electronic shifter according to the embodiment of the present application is described below:

It is assumed that in the initial state, the vehicle is in the parking state, the gear is initially in the P gear, and the P gear button 703a is lit. The user pushes the dial button 3 to move forward or backward to release the P gear, the P gear button 703a becomes dark, the gear enters the N gear, and the N gear mark lights up. Then, when the user pushes the dial button 3 forward, the gear shifts into the R gear, and the R gear mark lights up. When the user pushes the dial 3 backwards, the gear shifts into D gear, and the D gear mark lights up.

The dial button 3 can move relative to the housing 1 along a preset direction L (front and rear direction). 6A to 6C , in this embodiment, the preset direction L may be the length direction of the casing 1 , or the front-rear direction, and the dial button 3 can move back and forth along the preset direction L. That is, the dial button 3 can be moved forward or backward in the housing 1 .

In the embodiments of the present application, the "front", "rear", "left" and "right" are based on the electronic shifter installed in the vehicle and the traveling direction of the vehicle as a reference. In short, the vehicle's traveling direction is "front", the vehicle's backward direction is "rear", the left side of the vehicle's traveling direction is "left", and the right side of the vehicle's traveling direction is "right".

The upper cover 4 is provided with an opening 401 extending along the preset direction L, and the dial button 3 is penetrated in the opening 401 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the upper cover 4 is provided below the cover plate 7 , is sandwiched between the cover plate 7 and the upper end of the casing 1 , and is fixedly connected to the casing 1 by bolts. Further, a centralizer 8 is also provided between the upper cover 4 and the cover plate 7 . The centralizer 8 is in the shape of a plate as a whole and has a centralizer sleeve 801 that is matched with the lever 302 of the toggle button 3 . The centralizer 8 is sleeved on the lever 302 of the toggle button 3 and can move together with the toggle button 3 .

The toggle button 3 includes a main body 301 located in the casing 1 and a lever 302 extending upward from the upper end of the main body 301. The main body 301 is roughly in the shape of a rectangular plate, the lever 302 is in the shape of a cubic column, and the cross-sectional area of the lever 302 is smaller than that of the main body. 301 cross-sectional area. The lever 302 is inserted through the opening 401 of the upper cover 4 , and the upper end is passed through the opening 401 to the outside of the casing 1 .

The drag reducing member 5 is arranged on at least one side of the dial button 3 along the preset direction L. Preferably, there are two groups of drag reducing components 5, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the dial button 3 along the preset direction L. In this embodiment, the drag reducing member 5 is used to avoid the contact between the toggle button 3 and the upper cover 4 and reduce the movement resistance of the toggle button 3 . Specifically, the drag reducing member 5 is provided between the main body 301 and the upper cover 4 . As shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 and 5 , the drag reducing member 5 includes balls 501 . The upper surface of the main body 301 and/or the lower surface of the upper cover 4 is provided with a track groove 303 extending along the preset direction L, and the ball 501 is embedded and limited in the track groove 303 . In this way, when the dial button 3 is moved back and forth along the preset direction L by the user's operation, the ball 501 can move in the track groove 303, and then the rolling of the ball 501 can replace the sliding friction between the body 301 of the dial button 3 and the upper cover 4 , greatly improving the smoothness of the movement of the dial button 3.

The track groove 303 is used to define the rolling track of the ball 501 to prevent the ball 501 from slipping off between the body 301 of the dial button 3 and the upper cover 4 . As shown in FIG. 5 , in an optional embodiment, the upper surface of the main body 301 and the lower surface of the upper cover 4 are provided with track grooves 303 , and the two track grooves 303 are arranged opposite to each other and enclose the balls 501 therein. Further, the drag reducing component 5 further includes a bracket 502, and the bracket 502 is provided with a plurality of limit holes arranged along the preset direction L. The number of the balls 501 is multiple, and the multiple balls 501 are embedded in the limiting holes. Since the body 301 of the toggle button 3 moves relative to the upper cover 4 , the bracket 502 can be fixed on the body 301 or the upper cover 4 . In this way, the balls 501 can also roll between the main body 301 and the upper cover 4 , and will not move out from there. In addition, with the limiting effect of the bracket 502, the limiting effect of the plurality of balls 501 can be further improved.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 , the edge of the upper surface of the main body 301 is concave downward to form a concave portion 304 , and the lower surface of the upper cover 4 is protruded downward to form a convex portion 402 . Preferably, there are two concave parts 304 and two convex parts 402 , which are located along the preset direction L, respectively, on the two side edges of the main body 301 and the upper cover 4 . The protruding portion 402 is clamped in the recessed portion 304 , and the track groove 303 is provided on the upper surface of the recessed portion 304 and/or the lower surface of the protruding portion 402 . Through the cooperation of the recessed portion 304 and the raised portion 402 , the front and rear movement of the toggle button 3 can be guided and limited, and the toggle button 3 can be prevented from moving in the left and right directions relative to the upper cover 4 and the housing 1 . While ensuring that the toggle button 3 can move normally and stably in the preset direction L, undesired displacement is avoided, thereby improving the structural stability of the toggle button 3 .

As described above, from the perspective of the actual shift operation, when the user moves the dial button 3 to shift gears, it is inevitable that the dial button 3 will be slightly depressed. And the slight downward movement of the dial button 3 can overcome the elastic force exerted by the elastic member 10 (described below) on the dial button 3 to a certain extent, reduce the squeezing force on the ball 501 of the drag reducing member 5, and then make the dial button 3. The movement resistance is reduced.

However, the downward movement distance of the dial button 3 cannot be increased indefinitely. Otherwise, once the distance between the body 301 of the dial button 3 and the upper cover 4 exceeds the diameter of the ball 501, there is a risk that the ball 501 will be displaced from between the two.

In view of this, as shown in FIG. 5 , in one embodiment, the inner wall of the housing 1 protrudes inwardly to form a limit step 101 located below the main body 301 , and the limit step 101 and the main body 301 are spaced apart. The separation distance therebetween is a first gap distance (not shown).

The first gap distance is used to ensure that the dial button 3 has a degree of freedom to move up and down. The limit step 101 is used to limit and stop the downward movement of the dial button 3, limit the downward movement of the dial button 3, and avoid the excessive downward movement of the dial button 3 and the loss of the limit of the ball 501. Move out between the top covers 4.

It is worth noting that the body 301 and the upper cover 4 are also spaced apart to avoid the contact between the two, which would result in a greater movement resistance of the dial button 3 . As shown in FIG. 5 , the body 301 and the upper cover 4 are equivalently separated by the balls 501 , and the distance between them is the second gap distance, which is approximately equal to the diameter of the balls 501 minus the track groove 303 (2 a) depth. Further, the sum of the first gap distance and the second gap distance is smaller than the diameter of the ball 501 . In this way, even if the dial button 3 is pressed down by the user until the body 301 is in contact with the limit step 101, the first gap distance is 0, and the distance between the body 301 and the upper cover 4 will not exceed the diameter of the ball 501. It is ensured that the ball 501 can still be clamped and limited between the main body 301 and the upper cover 4 normally, and will not slip out from between the main body 301 and the upper cover 4 .

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A to 6C , the profiling part 6 is provided at the bottom of the housing 1 and corresponds to the lower end of the dial button 3 , and has an uneven profiling surface. In this embodiment, the profiling surface may include various forms, for example, the profiling surface may have an undulating tooth shape, a circular arc shape, or a V shape with a smooth transition at the bottom, and the like. When the lower end of the sliding block 9 slides on the profiling surface, the sliding block 9 can move up and down correspondingly with the undulations of the profiling surface.

A sliding block 9 is provided between the profiling part 6 and the lower end of the dial button 3 , and the lower end of the sliding block 9 abuts on the profiling surface and can slide on the profiling surface. An elastic member 10 is provided between the slider 9 and the dial button 3 , and the elastic member 10 applies a force to the slider 9 to make its lower end abut on the contoured surface. In this way, the elastic member 10 applies a reverse force to the toggle button 3 , and as described above, the drag reducing member 5 is sandwiched between the toggle button 3 and the upper cover 4 by means of the reverse force.

In this way, when the lower end of the sliding block 9 slides on the profiling surface, the sliding block 9 can move up and down correspondingly with the undulation of the profiling surface, and the up and down movement of the sliding block 9 reacts to the dial button 3 through the elastic member 10, so that the elastic The user who performs the manipulation action of the member 10 forms a shift feel.

In order to reduce the movement resistance of the dial button and enable the dial button to move smoothly, the current technology is generally to set a set of ball structures on the upper and lower sides of the dial button, and set a second ball structure between the ball structure located below and the shell. A reset piece to compress two groups of ball structures. In addition, in the prior art, the telescopic direction of the second reset member disposed between the toggle button and the slider is inconsistent with the telescopic direction of the first reset member (substantially perpendicular). As a result, the reset member for pressing the ball structure and the reset member for generating the shift feel cannot be shared, and the structure is difficult to simplify.

It can be seen from the above description that, in the embodiment of the present application, the up and down movement of the slider 9 reacts to the dial button 3 through the elastic member 10, so that the user can obtain a shift feel. At the same time, the reaction force exerted by the elastic member 10 on the toggle button 3 can keep the toggle button 3 moving upward all the time, thereby pressing the drag reducing member 5 between the toggle button 3 and the upper cover 4 . In this way, only one elastic member 10 is provided, so that the shifting feel and the pressing setting of the drag reducing member 5 can be achieved simultaneously. Therefore, compared with the prior art, the electronic shifter of the embodiment of the present application can omit one elastic member 10, and the structure of the electronic shifter is simplified.

The reverse force exerted by the elastic member 10 on the dial button 3 is a unidirectional force, so that the drag reducing member 5 can only be provided on one side of the dial button 3 , that is, the upper side. Compared with the known embodiment in the prior art in which a set of ball structures are provided on the upper and lower sides of the dial button, the drag reducing member 5 provided on one side of the dial button 3 is also omitted, and the structure is further simplified.

In some optional embodiments, the profiling component 6 may be an additional component provided at the bottom of the housing 1 , or may be formed by the bottom wall of the housing 1 , and the upper surface of the bottom wall of the housing 1 is a profiling surface. In order to reduce the friction between the slider 9 and the profiling surface and reduce the jerky feeling of shifting, the lower end of the slider 9 can be arc or spherical. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2 , the lower end of the slider 9 is provided with a rolling structure such as a roller.

Continuing to refer to FIGS. 5 , 6A to 6C , the dial button 3 is provided with a first cavity 305 which is open toward the lower end, and the slider 9 is movably provided in the first cavity 305 . The elastic member 10 is accommodated in the first cavity 305 , and two ends of the elastic member 10 abut against the inner wall of the first cavity 305 and the slider 9 respectively. Further, the slider 9 is provided with a second cavity 902 that is open toward the upper end, and the bottom wall of the second cavity 902 is provided with a guide column 901 extending upward. The elastic member 10 is a spring, which is sleeved outside the guide post 901 . By arranging the first cavity 305 and the second cavity 902, the elastic member 10 can be protected and positioned to prevent the elastic member 10 from being radially bent during the compression process. The inner wall of 902 was scratched.

It should be noted that, in the description of this application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for the purpose of description and to distinguish similar objects, and there is no sequence between the two, nor can they be understood as indicating or imply relative importance. Also, in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

The above are only a few embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to the embodiments of the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application according to the contents disclosed in the application documents.

Claims

An electronic shifter, characterized in that it includes:

case;

a PCB board arranged at the bottom of the casing, the PCB board is provided with a plurality of gear contacts arranged along a preset direction;

a toggle button whose lower end is accommodated in the casing, the toggle button can move relative to the shell along the preset direction, and the toggle button triggers the gear contact during the movement;

an upper cover provided on the upper end of the casing, the upper cover is provided with an opening extending along the preset direction, and the dial button is penetrated in the opening;

a drag reducing member arranged on at least one side of the dial button along the preset direction, the drag reducing member is sandwiched between the dial button and the upper cover;

a profiling part provided in the housing, the profiling part having an uneven profiling surface;

A sliding block arranged between the profiling part and the lower end of the dial button, the lower end of the sliding block abuts on the profiling surface and can slide on the profiling surface; the sliding block is connected to the profiling surface. An elastic piece is arranged between the toggle buttons, and the elastic piece exerts a force on the slider to make its lower end abut on the profiling surface.
The electronic shifter according to claim 1, wherein the toggle button comprises: a body located in the housing, a toggle lever extending upward from the upper end of the body; the drag reducing member is provided on the Between the main body and the upper cover, the lever passes through the opening, and the upper end passes through the opening to the outside of the casing.
The electronic shifter according to claim 2, wherein the drag reducing component comprises a ball; the upper surface of the main body and/or the lower surface of the upper cover is provided with a track groove extending along the preset direction , the ball is embedded and limited in the track groove.
The electronic shifter according to claim 3, wherein the drag reducing component further comprises a bracket, and the bracket is provided with a plurality of limit holes arranged along the preset direction; The number is multiple, and a plurality of the balls are embedded in the limiting hole.
The electronic shifter according to claim 3, wherein an edge of the upper surface of the main body is recessed downward to form a concave portion, a lower surface of the upper cover is protruded downward to form a convex portion, and the convex portion The track groove is arranged on the upper surface of the recessed portion and/or the lower surface of the raised portion.
3. The electronic shifter according to claim 3, wherein the inner wall of the casing protrudes inwardly to form a limit step located below the body, and the limit step and the body are spaced apart. , and the separation distance between them is the first gap distance.
6. The electronic shifter according to claim 6, wherein the body and the upper cover are spaced apart, and the spaced distance therebetween is a second gap distance.
The electronic shifter of claim 7, wherein the sum of the first gap distance and the second gap distance is smaller than the diameter of the ball.
The electronic shifter according to claim 1, wherein the dial button is provided with a first cavity that is open toward the lower end, and the slider is movably provided in the first cavity; The elastic member is accommodated in the first cavity, and two ends of the elastic member abut against the inner wall of the first cavity and the slider respectively.
9. The electronic shifter according to claim 9, wherein the slider is provided with a second cavity open toward the upper end, and the bottom wall of the second cavity is provided with a guide column extending upward;

The elastic member is a spring, the spring is sleeved outside the guide column, the upper end of the spring is abutted against the top wall of the first cavity, and the lower end is abutted against the bottom wall of the second cavity.