JP3805027B2 - Retractable change lever - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a retractable change lever that improves noise prevention and operational feeling.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, as a change lever for an automobile, as shown in FIG. 6, a change lever 1 that is rotatably supported in a select direction and a shift direction is divided into upper and lower parts, and an upper lever 1B is raised to a lower lever 1A. There has been proposed a retractable change lever which can be laid down from A to a position B. (See Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-12049)
The retractable change lever is configured so that the upper lever 1B can be laid down sideways so that an occupant can move between the driver's seat and the passenger seat without trouble when the automobile is stopped.
[0003]
In the tiltable change lever, at the standing position A in FIG. 6A, the upper lever 1B is moved by fitting the tapered hole 2a of the holding cylinder 2 into the tapered connecting portion 1C of the lower lever 1A and the upper lever 1B. While being held at the standing position A, the holding cylinder 2 is moved upward to remove the tapered hole 2a from the tapered connecting portion 1C, so that the upper lever 1B is laid sideways and laid down to the position B as shown in FIG. It can be done.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the tiltable change lever has a structure in which the tapered hole 2a of the holding cylinder 2 is fitted into the tapered connecting portion 1C and the upper lever 1B is held in the standing position A with respect to the lower lever 1A, the taper is tapered. It is very difficult to hold the upper lever 1B without rattling at the standing position A due to wear or processing error of the hole 2a or the tapered connecting portion 1C, and abnormal noise is generated due to running vibration, There was a problem that the operation feeling of the change lever deteriorated.
[0005]
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a retractable change lever that prevents abnormal noise and improves operational feeling.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a tiltable change lever in which a change lever that is rotatably supported is vertically divided so that the upper lever can be laid sideways from an upright position with respect to the lower lever.
The lower lever bracket supports the lower portion of the upper lever so that it can pivot between a standing position and a sideways position, and a sleeve is fitted to the upper lever so that it can move up and down and is urged downward by a spring. The lower lever bracket is formed with an inclined surface that opens upward with respect to the axial center of the upper lever in the standing position on the surface opposite to the sideways direction of the upper lever, and the sleeve has a downward movement direction. A retractable change characterized in that there is provided a wedge-shaped portion that forms an inclined surface that abuts the inclined surface when energized, and the wedge-shaped portion is set longer than the rotation support portion of the upper lever. A lever is provided.
[0007]
According to the present invention, in the standing position of the upper lever, the inclined surface of the sleeve biased in the downward movement direction by the spring contacts the inclined surface of the bracket of the lower lever, so that the upper lever is on the side opposite to the sideways direction. Does not rotate in the direction.
Also, when the upper lever is about to turn sideways, since the wedge-shaped portion of the sleeve is longer than the rotation support portion of the upper lever, the lower portion of the upper lever abuts against the wedge-shaped portion to prevent rotation. Is done.
[0008]
Accordingly, the upper lever is held without rattling on the lower lever in the standing position, so that no abnormal noise is generated due to running vibration or the like, and the operation feeling of the change lever is improved.
[0009]
In addition, the upper lever is held in the upright position by contact between the inclined surface of the bracket and the inclined surface of the sleeve, so that even if there is wear of parts or processing errors, the sleeve biased downward by the spring is used. Since the inclined surface is always in contact with the inclined surface of the bracket, the upper lever is always held on the lower lever without rattling in the standing position.
[0010]
When the upper lever is laid down to the horizontal position, the sleeve is moved upward against the biasing force of the spring, and the inclined surface is removed from the inclined surface of the bracket, so that the sleeve is centered on the rotation support portion of the upper lever. At the same time, the upper lever can be laid down.
[0011]
The above brackets have a downward movement stopper that holds the sleeve biased in the downward movement direction at the upper lever's horizontal position, a lateral stopper that stops rotation beyond the horizontal position, and moderation in the upright direction. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which an upright stopper portion to be applied is formed. (Claim 2)
[0012]
With this configuration, in the sideways position, the sleeve that is biased in the downward movement direction is stopped by the downward movement stopper portion, so that the upper lever does not rattle in the axial direction and the direction orthogonal to the axis, and the lateral movement stopper portion. The upper lever lies on its side and does not rotate downward beyond the position.
[0013]
In addition, when the upper lever does not rotate in the standing direction at the standing stopper, and when the upper lever is rotated in the standing direction with a little force, the sleeve automatically pushes the standing stopper against the biasing force of the spring. The upper lever can be rotated to the upright position.
[0014]
On the contrary, when the upper lever in the standing position is turned sideways, the sleeve moves up so as to automatically ride over the standing stopper against the biasing force of the spring, and then moves down again after getting over, The upper lever can be turned sideways and rotated to the position.
[0015]
When the sleeve passes over the standing stopper portion and is fitted into the downward movement stopper portion, there is an action operation effect that a feeling of moderation (click) is transmitted to the operator's hand through the upper lever.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the change lever 4 for an automobile is divided into upper and lower parts, and the lower lever 4 </ b> A is supported by a select lever 7 that is supported on a base plate 5 so as to be rotatable in a select direction C by a select shaft 6. A lever bracket 9 is rotatably supported in the shift direction D by a shift shaft 8, and a hinge bracket 10 is fixed to the lever bracket 9.
Further, the upper lever 4B is configured to be rotatably supported by the hinge bracket 10 at the standing position A and the sideways position B in the selection direction C by the sideways shaft 11.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 4, the hinge bracket 10 is formed in a U-shape that is opened in the horizontal direction when viewed from the plane, and has a pair of side walls 10 a and 10 a that are arranged in parallel in the shift direction D at a certain interval. The rear wall 10b connects the both side walls 10a, 10a on the opposite side to the direction in which the both side walls 10a, 10a are laid down.
[0018]
The upper lever 4B has a lower part 4b fitted between the side walls 10a, 10a without rattling, and is used for lying down through the shaft holes 10c, 10c, 4a formed in the side walls 10a, 10a and the upper lever 4B. The shaft 11 is rotatably supported at an upright position A and a sideways position B.
[0019]
A protrusion 10d is formed at the front part of the upper edge of the both side walls 10a, 10a of the hinge bracket 10, while a downward movement stopper part 10e is formed at the center of the front edge of the side walls 10a, 10a. At the same time, a stopper portion 10f is formed on the lower side, and a small standing stopper portion 10g is formed on the upper portion.
[0020]
The inner surface of the rear wall 10b of the hinge bracket 10 is formed as an inclined surface 10h that opens upward at a predetermined angle F with respect to the axial center E of the upper lever 4B in the standing position A.
[0021]
A center hole 12a of the sleeve 12 is fitted into the upper lever 4B so as to be movable up and down.
As shown in FIG. 5, the sleeve 12 is formed with a large-diameter manual operation flange portion 12c at the upper end of the upper portion 12b and extends downward from both sides in the shift direction D of the upper portion 12b. Leg portions 12d and 12d are formed to be fitted to the outer surfaces of both side walls 10a and 10a of the hinge bracket 10.
[0022]
The leg portions 12d and 12d are formed with vertically elongated holes 12e and 12e that are fitted to both ends of the sideways shaft 11, and the sleeve 12 is a long hole 12e that is fitted to the sideways shaft 11. And the center hole 12a fitted into the upper lever 4B, are guided to move up and down with respect to the upper lever 4B.
[0023]
The sleeve 12 extends downward from one side (the rear wall 10b side of the hinge bracket 10) in the select direction C of the upper part 12b, and is wedge-shaped part 12f fitted into the inner surfaces of both side walls 10a, 10a of the hinge bracket 10. Is formed.
On the inner surface of the wedge-shaped portion 12f, there is formed an arc-shaped recess 12g with which the outer periphery of the upper lever 4B fitted in the center hole 12a contacts, and the outer surface of the wedge-shaped portion 12f is the rear wall of the hinge bracket 10 It is formed on an inclined surface 12g that abuts the inclined surface 10h of 10b face-to-face.
[0024]
A spring accommodating hole 12h having a slightly larger diameter than the center hole 12a is formed in the upper portion 12b of the sleeve 12, and the upper end of the coil spring 13 that is accommodated in the spring accommodating hole 12h and engages the lower end is connected to the upper lever. The sleeve 12 is urged in the downward movement direction by the coil spring 13 by being engaged with the step 4c of 4B.
At the standing position A of the upper lever 4B, the inclined surface 12g of the wedge-shaped portion 12f of the sleeve 12 biased downward by the coil spring 13 is face-to-face with the inclined surface 10h of the rear wall 10b of the hinge bracket 10. Come into contact.
[0025]
The wedge-shaped portion 12f of the sleeve 12 is set longer than the rotation support portion of the upper lever 4B by the sideways shaft 11, and when the upper lever 4B tries to rotate in the sideways direction at the standing position A, The outer periphery of the lower portion 4b of the upper lever 4B comes into contact with the concave portion 12g of the wedge-shaped portion 12f.
[0026]
If the change lever 4 is configured as described above, when the upper lever 4B is rotated to the standing position A, if the knob 14 is grasped and the change lever 4 is rotated in the select direction C, the select shaft When the change lever 4 is turned in the shift direction D while the select lever 7 is turned in the select direction C around the center 6, the lever bracket 9 is turned in the shift direction D around the shift shaft 8. , Change operation will be possible.
[0027]
When the upper lever 4B is rotated to the standing position A, the lower portion 4b of the upper lever 4B is fitted between the both side walls 10a, 10a of the hinge bracket 10 without rattling. It does not rotate in the shift direction D.
Further, since the inclined surface 12g of the wedge-shaped portion 12f of the sleeve 12 urged downward by the coil spring 13 is in contact with the inclined surface 10h of the hinge bracket 10, the direction opposite to the direction in which the upper lever 4B is laid sideways. Even if the upper lever 4B is about to rotate, the outer periphery of the upper portion of the upper lever 4B comes into contact with the concave portion 12g of the wedge-shaped portion 12f to prevent the rotation.
[0028]
Further, even if the upper lever 4B is to be rotated sideways, the outer periphery of the lower part 4b abuts against the recess 12g of the wedge-shaped part 12f rather than the sideways axis 11 of the upper lever 4B, and the rotation is prevented.
As a result, the upper lever 4B is held without rattling on the lower lever 4A at the standing position A, so that no abnormal noise is generated due to running vibration or the like, and the operation feeling of the change lever 4 is improved.
[0029]
Further, since the upper lever 4B is held in the upright position A by contact between the inclined surface 10h of the hinge bracket 10 and the inclined surface 12g of the sleeve 12, the coil spring 13 can be used even if there is wear or processing error of each part. Since the inclined surface 12g of the sleeve 12 urged in the downward direction always abuts against the inclined surface 10h of the hinge bracket 10, the upper lever 4B is always held on the lower lever 4A without rattling in the standing position A.
[0030]
On the other hand, when the upper lever 4B is laid down to the position B, if the sleeve 12c of the sleeve 12 is pinched with fingers and the sleeve 12 is moved up against the urging force of the coil spring 13, the inclined surface 12g of the sleeve 12 is moved. Is removed from the inclined surface 10 h of the hinge bracket 10.
At this time, when the lower surface of the upper portion 12 b of the sleeve 12 is moved upward from the protrusion 10 d of the hinge bracket 10, the upper lever 4 B can be laid down together with the sleeve 12 around the shaft 11 for laying down.
[0031]
The height of the protrusion 10d of the hinge bracket 10 is set so that the sleeve 12 can be laid down only when the sleeve 12 is moved upward with a relatively long stroke by recognizing the laying down of the upper lever 4B. The front surface of the upper portion 12b abuts against the protrusion 10d so that it cannot be laid down, thereby improving safety.
[0032]
When the upper lever 12B lies over the protrusion 10d of the hinge bracket 10 while the upper lever 4B is laid down, the sleeve 12 moves downward by the biasing force of the coil spring 13 when the finger is released from the flange 12c. The lower surface of the upper portion 12b is held in contact with the upper edge of the protruding portion 10d by the urging force in the downward movement direction.
[0033]
In this state, when the upper lever 4B is further laid down, the upper portion 12b of the sleeve 12 gets over the standing stopper portion 10g of the hinge bracket 10 and fits into the lower movement stopper portion 10e, and is urged in the downward movement direction. The lower surface of the upper part 12b is stopped.
When the upper portion 12b of the sleeve 12 gets over the standing stopper portion 10g and fits into the lower moving stopper portion 10e, there is an action operation effect that a feeling of moderation (click) is transmitted to the operator's hand via the upper lever 4B.
[0034]
In this sideways position B, the lower surface of the upper portion 12b of the sleeve 12 urged in the downward movement direction by the downward movement stopper portion 10e is abutted, so that the upper lever 4B does not rattle in the axial direction and the axial orthogonal direction.
Further, since the front surface of the upper portion 12b of the sleeve 12 is stopped by the sideways stopper portion 10f, the upper lever 4B does not rotate downward beyond the sideways position, and the rear surface of the upper portion 12b of the sleeve 12 is stopped by the standing stopper portion 10g. Therefore, the upper lever 4B does not rotate upward in the standing direction.
As a result, the upper lever 4B is stably held at the side position B.
[0035]
On the other hand, in order to rotate the upper lever 4B to the standing position A, when the upper lever 4B is rotated in the standing direction with a little force, the upper portion 12b of the sleeve 12 stands up against the biasing force of the coil spring 13. It can move up to automatically get over the stopper portion 10g, and then move down to the standing position A again after getting over the protrusion 10d.
In the standing position A, the upper lever 4B is held without rattling on the lower lever 4A as described above.
[0036]
In the above embodiment, manual change is taken as an example, but it goes without saying that it can also be applied to auto change.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
As can be seen from the above description, the retractable change lever of the present invention is configured so that the inclined surface of the sleeve is brought into contact with the inclined surface of the bracket of the lower lever at the standing position of the upper lever so that the upper lever When the upper lever is prevented from rotating in the opposite direction, and when the upper lever tries to rotate in the sideways direction, the lower portion of the upper lever comes into contact with the wedge-shaped portion of the sleeve and the rotation is prevented. Since the upper lever is held without rattling on the lower lever in the standing position, no abnormal noise is generated due to running vibration or the like, and the operation feeling of the change lever is improved.
[0038]
In addition, the upper lever is held in the upright position by contact between the inclined surface of the bracket and the inclined surface of the sleeve, so that even if there is wear of parts or processing errors, the sleeve biased downward by the spring is used. Since the inclined surface is always in contact with the inclined surface of the bracket, the upper lever is always held on the lower lever without rattling in the standing position.
[0039]
According to claim 2, in the sideways position, the upper lever is prevented from rattling in the axial direction and the direction orthogonal to the axis by stopping the sleeve with the downward movement stopper portion, and the upper lever is overside the horizontal position in the sideways stopper portion. When the upper lever is rotated in the standing direction with a little force, the sleeve automatically lifts the standing stopper. The upper lever can be rotated to the upright position.
Further, when the sleeve gets over the standing stopper portion and fits into the downward movement stopper portion, there is an action operation effect that a feeling of moderation (click) is transmitted to the operator's hand via the upper lever.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a change lever according to the present invention viewed from a shift direction.
2A is a front view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a rear view of FIG.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an upper lever portion.
4A and 4B are hinge brackets, FIG. 4A is a side view, FIG. 4B is a perspective view, and FIG. 4C is a rear view.
5A is a plan view, FIG. 5B is a side sectional view, FIG. 5C is a side view, and FIG. 5D is a rear view.
6A and 6B are a conventional change lever, in which FIG. 6A is a side view of a standing position, and FIG. 6B is a side view of a sideways position.
[Explanation of symbols]
4 Change lever 4A Lower lever 4B Upper lever 4b Lower portion 6 Selection shaft 8 Shift shaft 10 Hinge bracket 10a Side wall 10b Rear wall 10d Projection portion 10e Lowering stopper portion 10f Side-by-side stopper portion 10g Standing stopper portion 10h Inclined surface 11 Sideways shaft 12 Sleeve 12c Collar 12f Wedge 12g Inclined surface 13 Coil spring A Standing position B Sideways position

Claims (2)

In the tiltable change lever, the change lever supported rotatably is divided up and down, and the upper lever can be laid down from the standing position with respect to the lower lever.
The lower lever bracket supports the lower portion of the upper lever so that it can pivot between a standing position and a sideways position, and a sleeve is fitted to the upper lever so that it can move up and down and is urged downward by a spring. The lower lever bracket is formed with an inclined surface that opens upward with respect to the axial center of the upper lever in the standing position on the surface opposite to the sideways direction of the upper lever, and the sleeve has a downward movement direction. A retractable change characterized in that there is provided a wedge-shaped portion that forms an inclined surface that abuts the inclined surface when energized, and the wedge-shaped portion is set longer than the rotation support portion of the upper lever. lever. The bracket is mounted on the above-mentioned bracket with a downward movement stopper that holds the sleeve biased in the downward movement direction at the position of the upper lever, a lateral movement stopper that stops rotation beyond the horizontal position, and moderation in the upright direction. The retractable change lever according to claim 1, wherein an upright stopper portion is provided to stop it.

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