JP2007186118A - Shift device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shift device capable of quickly performing an engine start and shift operation for smooth start of a vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: A housing case 22 is fixed to a mounting board 21, so as to expose the housing case 22 in an opening 12a of an instrumental panel 12. A shift member 24 is rotatably supported by a mounting hole 22c formed in a flange 22b of the housing case 22. A coil spring 27 is interposed between a mounting body 5 housed inside the housing case 22 and the shift member 24. A permanent magnet 31 is mounted to the inner end surface of the shift member 24, and a shift range detecting MRE (magnetic resistant effect) element 35 and an engine starting hole element 33 are mounted to the front end surface of the mounting body 25. The shift member 24 is pushed to start the engine, and the shift member 24 is rotated to change shift range. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a shift device that can start an engine of a vehicle and can switch a connection state of a transmission of the vehicle by electric control.

  In general, a transmission of a vehicle is controlled to be switched by a shift device disposed in the vehicle compartment. Conventionally, a link mechanism or the like is connected between the shift device and the transmission, and an operation of the shift device is transmitted to the transmission via the link mechanism or the like. In other words, the connection state of the transmission can be switched by mechanically transmitting the operation of the shift device to the transmission.

Conventionally, a shift-by-wire type shift device that switches the connection state of an automatic transmission by electric control without using a link mechanism has also been proposed. This shift device includes a shift member that can be rotationally displaced to a plurality of shift positions by a manual operation. An electrical signal is output from the shift switch in accordance with the shift position of the shift member, and selection of each shift range of the automatic transmission is electrically controlled based on the electrical signal. (See Patent Document 1)
On the other hand, the engine mounted on the vehicle is started or stopped by a mechanical key, but recently, it has also been proposed to perform a push start switch operation instead of the mechanical key. .
JP 2002-254946 A

  However, since the shift device and the push start switch are separately developed and disposed separately in the vehicle interior in the above conventional technology, the engine start operation or stop operation, and the shift range switching operation by the shift member. There is a problem in that the vehicle cannot be started or stopped smoothly because it is necessary to perform the above and the above separately.

  The present invention eliminates the above-mentioned conventional problems, and can quickly start and stop the engine and change the shift range using the shift member, thereby smoothly starting or stopping the vehicle. To provide an apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that a shift member is attached to the housing case, and a plurality of shift positions are switched by rotating the shift member. A shift device that outputs an electrical signal for switching a shift range in response to the shift switch, wherein the shift member is supported so as to be able to be pushed or pushed with respect to the housing case, and the shift member is pushed or pushed. The gist of the invention is to provide an engine start / stop means that operates to alternately output an electric signal for engine start or engine stop.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, between the housing case and the shift member, a restoring means for restoring the shift member to a specific shift position by an elastic restoring force is interposed. The gist is that the restoring means also has a function of urging from the operating position where the shift member is pushed to the retracted position where the pushing is released.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the shift switch includes a permanent magnet attached to a predetermined position inside the shift member or the inner surface of the shift member, and a predetermined inner portion of the storage case. And an angle detection element that is provided so as to face the permanent magnet with respect to the position or the inner surface of the shift member and that outputs different electrical signals according to the rotation angle of each shift position of the shift member. It is a summary.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the engine start / stop means includes a permanent magnet attached to an inner surface of the shift member, and an inner side of the housing case facing the permanent magnet. A proximity sensing element that senses the approach of the permanent magnet and outputs an electrical signal; and a control circuit that alternately outputs an engine start signal or an engine stop signal based on the electrical signal from the sensing element It is made up of that.

The invention according to claim 5 is summarized in that, in claim 4, the angle detection element is an MRE (magnetoresistance effect) element, and the proximity sensing element is a Hall element.
The invention according to claim 6 is summarized in that, in claim 4, the permanent magnet of the shift switch and the permanent magnet of the engine start / stop means are the same magnet.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first, third, and fourth to sixth aspects, the shift member is locked at each shift position between the housing case and the shift member. In the state where the shift member is switched to the “parking” position among the shift positions of “parking”, “reverse”, “neutral” and “forward”. Only the shift member is configured to be pushed.

  According to the present invention, the shift member is supported so as to be able to be pushed or pressed with respect to the housing case, and the shift member is pushed or pressed to alternately output an engine start or engine stop electric signal. Stop means were provided. Therefore, the engine start operation or stop operation and the shift range switching operation by the shift member can be quickly performed at the same position, and the vehicle can be started or stopped smoothly.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a shift device embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, based on FIG. 5, the configuration of the vehicle to which the shift device is mounted will be briefly described. A steering column 13 is mounted on the right side of the instrument panel 12 mounted in the vehicle 11. A shift device 14 is attached to the instrument panel 12 so as to be located to the left of the steering column 13.

  Next, the shift device 14 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a mounting board 21 is disposed on the inner side of the instrument panel 12 (right side in FIG. 1). A storage case 22 having a horizontal rectangular tube shape is mounted so as to correspond to the opening 12 a formed in the instrument panel 12. A flange 22 a integrally formed on the outer periphery of the base end portion (right end portion in FIG. 1) of the housing case 22 is fastened and fixed to the mounting substrate 21 by bolts 23. A flange 22b is integrally formed at the inner peripheral edge of the distal end portion (left end portion in FIG. 1) of the housing case 22, and the shift member 24 is reciprocated in a circular mounting hole 22c formed at the inner peripheral edge of the flange 22b. It is mounted so that it can move and reciprocate in the axial direction of the housing case 22 (see the arrow in FIG. 1). The shift member 24 includes a large-diameter disk portion 24a that is in contact with the inner surface of the flange 22b, a small-diameter disk portion 24b that passes through the mounting hole 22c and protrudes outside the housing case 22, and the small-diameter disk portion. The operation knob 24c is a vertically long rectangular column that is integrally formed on the front end surface of the 24b and that rotates the shift member 24.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a flange 25 a integrally formed on the outer periphery of the base end portion of the cylindrical attachment body 25 is fastened and fixed to the base end portion of the housing case 22 by screws 26. A flange 25c is integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 25b forming the horizontal cylindrical shape of the mounting body 25, and a locking hole 25d formed in the flange 25c has a coil spring 27 as a restoring means. One end is locked. The other end of the coil spring 27 is locked in a locking hole 24d formed in the inner surface of the large-diameter disk portion 24a of the shift member 24. The front side surface of the large-diameter disk portion 24a of the shift member 24 is pressed against the inner side surface of the flange 22b by the coil spring 27.

  As shown in FIG. 3, “P (parking)”, “R (reverse)”, “N (neutral)” and “D (forward)” are provided as shift ranges on the front surface of the flange 22 b of the housing case 22. The characters are engraved. Further, on the front surface of the flange 22b, "E (initial stage), which becomes a reference position for switching each shift range, is positioned between the shift ranges of" N (neutral) "and" D (forward) ". ) ”Is displayed. The shift member 24 is always held at a reference position, that is, a position corresponding to the “E (initial)” by the elastic force of the coil spring 27. As shown in FIG. 3, an arrow 24e for selecting any one of the shift ranges is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the small-diameter disk portion 24b of the shift member 24. Then, by rotating the operation knob 24c from the “E (initial)” position against the elastic force of the coil spring 27, for example, a shift range of “D (forward)” among a plurality of shift ranges. Can be selected.

Next, the engine start / stop switch SW1 and the shift switch SW2 interposed between the shift member 24 and the mounting body 25 will be sequentially described.
As shown in FIG. 1, a vertically long rectangular plate-like permanent magnet 31 is attached to the inner surface of the large-diameter disk portion 24a. On the other hand, a control board 32, which will be described later, is attached to the front end surface of the cylindrical portion 25b of the attachment body 25, and the surface of the control board 32 is opposed to the permanent magnet 31 with a predetermined distance. A hall element 33 is attached as an approach sensing element that senses the approach of the permanent magnet 31 and outputs an electrical signal. A constant voltage is supplied to the input terminal 33a of the Hall element 33 from a constant voltage supply device 34 as shown in FIG. When the Hall element 33 senses the approach of the permanent magnet 31, an electrical signal corresponding to the change in the magnetic field intensity of the permanent magnet 31 is output from the output terminal 33b of the Hall element 33 to the control circuit 41 described later. Yes. In this embodiment, the engine start / stop switch SW1 is constituted by the permanent magnet 31, the Hall element 33, the constant voltage supply device 34, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an MRE (magnetoresistive) element 35 as an angle detection element is attached to the surface of the control board 32. As shown in FIG. 3, the center of the MRE element 35 is disposed so as to face the center of the N pole and S pole of the permanent magnet 31. A constant voltage is supplied to the input terminal 35a of the MRE element 35 from a constant voltage supply device 36 as shown in FIG. When the shift member 24 is rotated and the permanent magnet 31 is rotated, the direction of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 31 acting on the MRE element 35 changes in proportion to the rotation angle, The electrical resistance of the MRE element 35 also changes. Using the region where the electrical resistance changes linearly, an output voltage corresponding to the change is output from the output terminal 35b to the control circuit 41 as an electrical signal corresponding to the rotation angle of the shift member 24, that is, each shift range. It is supposed to be. In this embodiment, the shift switch SW2 is constituted by the permanent magnet 31, the MRE element 35, the constant voltage supply device 36, and the like.

Next, the electrical configuration of the shift device 14 and related devices will be described with reference to FIG.
A control circuit 41 is mounted on the control board 32, and the Hall element 33 and the MRE element 35 are connected to the control circuit 41. Connected to the control circuit 41 is an engine control circuit 42 for controlling various operations such as starting or stopping the engine. The control circuit 41 is connected to an automatic transmission 43 that switches each shift range by electrical control.

  The control circuit 41 is provided with an engine start / stop command circuit 44. The engine start / stop command circuit 44 is configured such that the shift member 24 is pushed once in FIG. 1 and is brought close to the Hall element 33 as shown in FIG. When a signal is received, an electric signal for engine start is output to the engine control circuit 42. When the shift member 24 is pushed again and the engine start / stop command circuit 44 receives an electrical signal exceeding the second threshold value from the hall element 33, the engine control circuit 42 sends the engine stop electrical signal. The operation described above is performed, and the above operations are alternately performed. In this embodiment, the engine start / stop switch SW1, the engine start / stop command circuit 44, and the engine control circuit 42 constitute an engine start / stop means.

  The control circuit 41 is provided with a shift range switching command circuit 45. The shift range switching command circuit 45 rotates the shift member 24 from “E (initial)” as a reference to, for example, “D (forward)”, and responds to “D (forward)” from the MRE element 35. The electric signal is received and a signal for switching the shift range to “D (forward)” is output to the automatic transmission 43. After the shift member 24 is restored from “D (forward)” to the reference “E (initial)” by the restoring force of the coil spring 27, “D (forward)” is maintained, When the shift member 24 is switched to another shift position, a signal for switching to another shift range is output from the shift range switching command circuit 45 to the automatic transmission 43. Further, the shift range switching command circuit 45 rotates the shift member 24 from “E (initial)” to “P (parking)” via, for example, “N (neutral)” and “R (reverse)”. When “P (parking)” is used as a turning point, a function of recognizing only “P (parking)” at the turning point as an effective shift range is provided. Thus, “E (initial)” is a reference position for recognizing the turning point of each shift range.

  Further, the control circuit 41 is provided with an interlock circuit 46. When the shift member 24 is rotated by the interlock circuit 46 to a shift position other than the “E (initial)” shift position, for example, “R (reverse)” or “D (forward)”, the shift is performed. Even if the member 24 is pushed by mistake, the engine start operation is not performed.

Next, the operation of the shift device configured as described above will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the arrow 24e of the shift member 24 of the shift device 14 indicates “E (initial)” and the engine is stopped, the shift member 24 is permanently moved by the coil spring 27 as shown in FIG. The magnet 31 is held at a retracted position separated from the hall element 33. Further, the shift range is switched to “P (parking)”, and a lock signal is output from the control circuit 41 to a parking lock mechanism (not shown) provided in the automatic transmission 43 to enter the parking lock state. Yes.

  In FIG. 1, when the shift member 24 is pushed against the urging force of the coil spring 27 as shown by an arrow, the permanent magnet 31 is switched to the operating position close to the Hall element 33 as shown in FIG. An electrical signal exceeding the first threshold value is sent from the hall element 33 to the engine start / stop command circuit 44 of the control circuit 41, and the engine start electrical signal is output from the engine start / stop command circuit 44 to the engine control circuit 42. And the engine is started.

  In FIG. 2, when the pushing operation of the shift member 24 is released, the shift member 24 is returned from the operating position shown in FIG. 2 to the retracted position shown in FIG. Even in this state, the engine is kept driven by the operation of the engine start / stop command circuit 44.

  Next, in FIG. 5, the operation knob 24 c is rotated clockwise against the elastic force of the coil spring 27 (see FIG. 1), and the arrow 24 e is changed from “E (initial)” to “D (forward)”, for example. The permanent magnet 31 is also rotated, and the rotation angle of the shift member 24 is detected by the MRE element 35. Then, a switching signal from “P (parking)” to “D (forward)” is output from the shift range switching command circuit 45 of the control circuit 41 to the automatic transmission 43, and the shift range starts from “P (parking)”. It is switched to “D (forward)”. At the same time, an unlock signal is output from the control circuit 41 to the parking lock mechanism (not shown), and the parking lock is released. When the shift member 24 stops rotating and is released from the shift member 24, the shift member 24 is returned to the shift position from “D (forward)” to “E (initial)” by the biasing force of the coil spring 27. The Even in this state, the automatic transmission 43 remains in the “D (forward)” shift range by the action of the shift range switching command circuit 45.

  When the shift range of the automatic transmission 43 is switched from “D (forward)” to “P (parking)”, for example, the shift member 24 is rotated to change the arrow 24e from “E (initial)” to “P ( "Parking" ", and the shift member 24 is returned to the" E (initial) "position with this" P (parking) "as a turning point. As a result, a switching signal from “D (forward)” to “P (parking)” is output from the shift range switching command circuit 45 of the control circuit 41 to the automatic transmission 43, and the shift range is switched to “P (parking)”. It is done.

  Further, when the engine is stopped in a state where the shift range is, for example, “D (forward)” or “R (reverse)”, the shift member 24 moves from the shift position “E (initial)” to “P (parking)”. ”Or“ N (neutral) ”. Then, the shift range is switched from “D (forward)” or “R (reverse)” to a shift range of “P (parking)” or “N (neutral)”, and the shift member 24 is in the shift position of “E (initial)”. The shift member 24 is pushed again in the state returned to. Then, an electrical signal exceeding the second threshold value is output from the hall element 33 to the engine start / stop command circuit 44 of the control circuit 41, and an engine stop signal is output from the engine start / stop command circuit 44 to the engine control circuit 42. And the engine is stopped. After this engine stop, when the shift range is “P (parking)”, it remains as it is, and when it is “N (neutral)”, the control circuit 41 automatically operates to “P (parking)”. ”Is switched to the shift range, the operation signal is output from the control circuit 41 to the parking lock mechanism (not shown), and the parking lock state is entered.

According to the shift device of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the above embodiment, the function of starting or stopping the engine by bringing the permanent magnet 31 close to the hall element 33 by pushing the shift member 24 having a function of switching a plurality of shift ranges is provided. The engine start operation or stop operation and the plurality of shift range switching operations can be quickly performed at the same position, so that the vehicle can be started or stopped smoothly.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the shift member 24 is held at the predetermined reference position, that is, “E (initial)” by the coil spring 27, and is always urged to the retracted position shown in FIG. The shift member 24 can be biased and held in two directions by one coil spring 27, the number of parts can be reduced, the structure can be simplified, the manufacturing and assembling work can be easily performed, and the cost can be reduced. it can.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the permanent magnet 31 is attached to the inner surface of the shift member 24, and the Hall element 33 and the MRE element 35 are attached to the distal end surface of the cylindrical portion 25b. The elements 33 and 35 can be used to start or stop the engine and to switch between a plurality of shift ranges. From this point as well, the number of parts is reduced, the structure is simplified, and manufacturing and assembly operations are performed. Can be easily performed and the cost can be reduced.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the flange 22b of the housing case 22 is made thick so that the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole 22c and the outer peripheral surface of the small-diameter disk portion 24b of the shift member 24 is increased. A detent mechanism 51 as a locking mechanism is provided. The detent mechanism 51 will be described. A plurality of hemispherical locking recesses 22e, 22f, 22g, and 22h corresponding to the respective shift ranges are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole 22c. , 22f, 22g, 22h are connected by a guide groove 22i. On the other hand, a spring 52 is housed in a spring housing recess 24f formed on the outer peripheral surface of the small-diameter disk portion 24b of the shift member 24, and a base end portion of the locking pin 53 is inserted. A hemispherical locking portion 53a formed at the tip of the locking pin 53 can be locked to any one of the locking recesses 22e, 22f, 22g, 22h. Further, the inner periphery of the mounting hole 22c is so that the shift member 24 can be pushed only when the shift member 24 is rotated and the arrow 24e is switched to the shift range “P (parking)”. A groove 22j that allows movement of the locking portion 53a of the locking pin 53 is formed on the surface.

  The shift device of this embodiment has the same effect as the above-described embodiment, but the engine can be started only when the shift member 24 is switched to the “P (parking)” shift range. Since the engine does not start even if the shift member 24 is accidentally pushed other than “P (parking)”, there is no fear of sudden start or the like. Further, because of the mechanical configuration, there is an advantage that the above-described interlock circuit 46 is not necessary.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
Although not shown, a piezoelectric element is attached to the distal end surface of the cylindrical portion 25 b and the element is brought into contact with the inner surface of the shift member 24. The engine start operation and stop operation may be alternately performed by pressing the shift member 24.

  Although not shown, instead of the Hall element 33, for example, a micro switch is provided on the mounting body 25, and when the shift member 24 is pushed and its inner end surface comes into contact with the micro switch, an electric signal is output. It may be. Alternatively, a photodiode is mounted on the mounting body 25, and an electric signal is output from the photodiode when the shift member 24 is pushed and the operating piece provided on the inner end surface approaches the photodiode. Good.

The type of the shift range may be increased, for example, as “D1 (forward 1)” to “D3 (forward 3)”.
The storage case 22 may be cylindrical.

-You may set the arrangement | positioning position of the said shift apparatus 14 in the arbitrary positions around driver's seats, such as a floor or a door.
The engine start / stop switch SW1 and the shift switch SW2 may be changed from a non-contact configuration to a contact configuration.

The permanent magnet 31 may be attached to the distal end surface of the mounting body 25, and the control board 32, the Hall element 33, and the MRE element 35 may be attached to the shift member 24.
As the angle detection element, in addition to the MRE element 35, for example, a magnetoelectric conversion element that detects the magnitude of a magnetic flux that changes as the permanent magnet 31 rotates may be used.

  When the pushing operation of the shift member 24 is performed on the control circuit 41 within a short first setting time such as one touch, for example, the accessory switch in the vehicle interior is turned on, and the pushing operation is the first A function for starting the engine may be added when the operation is performed for a second set time exceeding the set time.

The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the engine stop state of the shift apparatus of this invention. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the engine start state of a shift apparatus. The disassembled perspective view of a shift apparatus. The block circuit diagram which shows the electric structure of a shift apparatus and related apparatus. The partial perspective view which shows a vehicle interior. The cross-sectional view which shows another embodiment of this invention. The separation perspective view of the storage case and shift member of the embodiment of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  SW1 ... Engine start / stop switch, SW2 ... Shift switch, 14 ... Shift device, 22 ... Housing case, 24 ... Shift member, 31 ... Permanent magnet, 41 ... Control circuit, 42 ... Engine control circuit, 43 ... Automatic transmission, 44 ... Engine start / stop command circuit, 45 ... Shift range switching command circuit.

Claims (7)

A shift member is mounted on the housing case, and a plurality of shift positions are switched by rotating the shift member, and an electric signal for switching the shift range is output from the shift switch according to each shift position. In the device
Engine start / stop means for supporting the shift member so as to be able to be pushed or pressed with respect to the housing case, and alternately outputting an electrical signal for engine start or engine stop by pushing or operating the shift member. A shift device characterized by comprising: In Claim 1, between the said storage case and the said shift member, the restoring means for restoring this shift member to a specific shift position with an elastic restoring force is interposed, and this restoring means is the said shift member. A shift device having a function of urging from a pushed operation position to a retracted position from which the push is released. 3. The shift switch according to claim 1, wherein the shift switch is provided at a predetermined position inside the inner surface of the shift member or inside the housing case, and at a predetermined position inside the housing case or the inner surface of the shift member. A shift device comprising an angle detection element that is provided so as to face the permanent magnet and outputs different electrical signals according to the rotation angle of each shift position of the shift member. . 4. The engine start / stop means according to claim 3, wherein the engine start / stop means is provided on the inner surface of the shift member, and is provided in the housing case so as to face the permanent magnet, and the permanent magnet approaches. And a control circuit configured to alternately output an engine start signal or an engine stop signal based on the electrical signal from the sensing element. Shift device. 5. The shift device according to claim 4, wherein the angle detection element is an MRE (magnetoresistance effect) element, and the proximity sensing element is a Hall element. 5. The shift device according to claim 4, wherein the permanent magnet of the shift switch and the permanent magnet of the engine start / stop means are the same magnet. In any one of Claims 1, 3, or 4-6, between the said storage case and a shift member, the latching mechanism for latching this shift member for every shift position is provided, The locking mechanism is such that the shift member is pushed and operated only when the shift member is switched to the “parking” position among the “parking”, “reverse”, “neutral”, and “forward” shift positions. It is comprised so that it may be comprised, The shift apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.

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