JP6532121B2 - Shift lever device - Google Patents

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a shift lever device for gear change operation installed around steering of a vehicle.

  In order to improve the drivability of the vehicle, a shift lever is provided around the steering, in particular, between the steering and the dashboard, and provided with a shift lever at a position where the driver can perform a shifting operation with both hands attached to the steering. There is a device. The shift lever is operated in a direction to pull it toward the steering with the finger of the hand attached to the steering.

  The transmission operation member (shift lever device) described in Patent Document 1 is fixed to a spoke portion extending from a boss of a handle (steering) mounted on a steering shaft to a grip portion. The shift operating member rotates with the handle.

  The shift lever device described in Patent Document 2 includes a pair of left and right cases fixed to a steering column located on the rear side of the steering wheel, and a control lever extending from the case. The shift lever device has a length along the direction of rotation of the steering wheel because it does not rotate with the steering wheel.

JP, 2009-202831, A JP, 2014-28610, A

  By the way, the driver's hand size and finger length not only have individual differences, but also there are differences in how to grip the steering wheel and in positions where it is felt that the shift lever is easy to operate. However, the shift lever is set in size, shape, and arrangement so that it can cope with a certain degree of difference in average conditions. Therefore, although there is no problem in operating the shift lever, none of them is made so as to be able to change the position of the operated portion to be subjected to the shift operation as in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. Therefore, not all drivers can be satisfied in terms of the feeling when operating the shift lever.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a shift lever device incorporating a mechanism capable of adjusting the position of the operation end of the shift lever according to the driver's preference.

  A shift lever device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a shift lever device capable of performing a gear shift operation while holding a steering of a vehicle, and includes a base, a case, a shift lever, and an adjustment mechanism. The base is fixed to a column surrounding the end of the shaft on which the steering is mounted. The case is guided along the base and is movable in a direction transverse to the axis of the shaft. The shift lever has an operated portion disposed in the vicinity of the grip portion of the steering, and is connected to the case so as to be pivotable in a direction along the axis of the shaft. The adjusting mechanism adjusts the position of the shift lever by moving the case in a direction intersecting with the axis of the shaft, incorporated in the base.

  At this time, the shift lever and the case are arranged in pairs on the left and right sides of the shaft, and the adjustment mechanism moves the left and right cases in opposite directions to adjust the position of the shift lever. Further, the adjustment mechanism includes a drive screw, a driven screw, and a dial (operation unit). The drive screws are arranged in pairs on the same line extending vertically from the vertical plane passing through the axis of the shaft. The driven screw is formed in the case and fitted to the drive screw, and the rotation of the drive screw moves the case in the vertical direction with respect to the vertical surface. The dial is exposed to the outside of the column, and can rotate the pair of drive screws simultaneously.

  Further, in the adjusting mechanism, the drive screw has a driven bevel gear at each end located on the vertical surface side, and the dial simultaneously engages with the pair of driven bevel gears at the tip of the operating shaft extending along the vertical surface It has a drive bevel gear. Alternatively, in the adjusting mechanism, the drive screw is formed as a right-handed screw and a left-handed screw on one side and the other on the vertical plane and connected to each other in the vertical plane, and the dial is provided at a position where the drive screw is connected. Alternatively, in the adjusting mechanism, the drive screw has a worm wheel in a portion formed behind the right-handed screw and the left-handed screw on one side and the other on the vertical plane and connected to each other in the vertical plane, and the dial is along the vertical plane It has a worm that engages with the worm wheel.

  Alternatively, the adjustment mechanism may comprise a rack, a pinion and a dial. The rack extends from the case perpendicularly across a vertical plane passing through the axis of the shaft. The rotation shaft is disposed in the direction along the vertical surface, and the pinion engages with the rack. The dial is attached to the end of the operating shaft exposed to the outside of the column along the rotation axis of the pinion and operated to move the case vertically to the vertical plane.

  The adjustment mechanism may also include an electric motor that rotates the drive shaft directly or indirectly.

  According to the shift lever device of one embodiment according to the present invention, the adjustment mechanism capable of positioning the shift lever in the direction crossing the axis of the steering shaft is provided. Therefore, the position of the shift lever can be adjusted to a position easy to operate in accordance with the size of the palm of the driver, the length of the finger, etc., so that the operability of the shift lever is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The perspective view which shows the steering of the vehicle equipped with the shift lever apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and its periphery. The disassembled perspective view which shows the shift lever apparatus of FIG. 1 with a steering and a column. The disassembled perspective view of the shift lever apparatus of FIG. Sectional drawing of the shift lever apparatus which follows F4-F4 line | wire in FIG. The front view of the shift lever apparatus of the state which removed the upper wall part of the base of FIG. FIG. 2 is a view showing the shift lever and the steering wheel of FIG. 1 viewed from the column side, in which (A) shows the shift lever set inside, and (B) shows the shift lever set outside. The perspective view of the shift lever apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of the state which expanded the shift lever of the shift lever apparatus of FIG. 7 outside. FIG. 9 is a view of the shift lever device of FIG. 8 viewed vertically from below the shaft together with a steering and a column. The perspective view of the shift lever apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of the shift lever apparatus of the 4th Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of the state which expanded the shift lever of the shift lever apparatus of FIG. 11 outside.

  A shift lever device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. As shown in FIG. 1, the shift lever device 1 is provided in the vicinity of the steering wheel 101 of the vehicle, and is a so-called paddle type shift lever capable of shifting while holding the steering wheel 101. There is no need for automatic cars and semi-automatic cars to be adopted. In the range where the driver can lightly operate with the fingertips of the second to fifth fingers without releasing the hand from the grip portion 105 on the outer periphery of the steering 101 when switching the gears of the transmission by the driver's intention The shift lever 11 is disposed.

  The shift lever device 1 of the present embodiment is incorporated in a column on the other side of the steering wheel 101 as viewed from the driver side. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view with the steering wheel 101 removed in the direction of the axis A of the shaft 102 and with the cover 104 of the column 103 removed.

  In the following specification, for convenience of explanation, the driver sitting at the driver's seat may look at the steering wheel 101, and the driver side may be referred to as "in front" and the other side as "back". In addition, "right" and "left" are defined centering on the rotation center of the steering 101, ie, the axis line A of the shaft 102, "R" after the code of the configuration disposed on the right, and the symbol of the configuration disposed on the left "L" may be written after "." Furthermore, the 12 o'clock direction when the steering wheel 101 is replaced with an analog type watch may be referred to as “upper” and the 6 o'clock direction as “lower”. Further, the steering 101 has a tilt mechanism capable of vertically adjusting the angle of the shaft 102 in accordance with the driver's physical constitution and preference. The plane along which the axis A of the shaft 102 rotates is referred to as a vertical plane S by this tilt mechanism.

  Inside the cover 104 of the column 103 surrounding the end of the shaft 102 of the steering 101, a column unit 20 is provided in addition to the shift lever device 1 as shown in FIG. In the column unit 20, the direction indication lever 21 and the light switch 22 are disposed on the right side, and the wiper lever 23 and the washer switch 24 are disposed on the left side. The shift lever device 1 is disposed below the axis A while the column unit 20 is provided slightly above the axis A of the shaft 102. As shown in FIG. 2, the shift levers 11 are provided as a pair on the left and right sides of the shaft 102, and the operated portions 111 are disposed between the steering 101 and the direction instructing levers 21 and the wiper levers 23.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the shift lever device 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the shift lever device 1 includes a base 12, a case 13, a shift lever 11 and an adjustment mechanism 14. In the present embodiment, the base 12 is divided into two members of a lower wall portion 121 and an upper wall portion 122, and has a structure in which the adjustment mechanism 14 is incorporated. The base 12 is fixed to a column 103 surrounding an end of the shaft 102 on which the steering 101 is mounted. Specifically, the housing 25 of the column unit 20 contained in the column 103 is connected by a bolt 15. The base 12 extends in a direction perpendicular to the axis A of the shaft 102, more specifically, vertically to the right and left with respect to a vertical plane S along the axis A of the shaft 102. Have. In addition, instead of omitting the bolt 15 in FIG. 3, a symbol is attached to the center line of the hole through which the bolt 15 is passed. In the exploded perspective view shown in FIG. 3, the base 12 is divided into two members of the lower wall portion 121 and the upper wall portion 122 in a plane perpendicular to the axis A of the shaft 102, but it is formed in one block May be

  The case 13 is provided as a pair on the left and right sides of the shaft 102, and is movable along the direction intersecting the axis A of the shaft 102. The case 13 is disposed between the housing 25 and the base 12 and has a flange 131 extending toward the base 12 and a flange 132 extending toward the housing 25. The flange 131 extending toward the base 12 is inserted into the groove 123 of the base 12. A flange 132 extending toward the housing 25 is overlapped with a guide surface 251 provided on the housing 25. Each of the flanges 131 and 132 has an elongated hole along the direction in which the groove 123 of the base 12 extends, and a bolt 16 serving as a guide for the case 13 is passed therethrough. That is, the case 13 is guided in the direction intersecting the axis A of the shaft 102 along the groove 123 of the base 12 and the guide surface 251 of the housing 25. The bolts 16 are also omitted in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 3 and instead reference is made to the center line of the hole through which the bolts 16 are passed.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the shift lever device 1 taken along a line (F4-F4 line in FIG. 2) passing through the center of the bolt 16 passed through the flanges 131 and 132 of the right case 13. The case 13 itself is fitted between the base 12 and the housing 25, and the bolt 16 is passed in a state where the flange 131 is inserted into the groove 123 of the base 12. That is, the flange 131 of the case 13 is held by the bolt 16 in a state of being sandwiched between the lower wall 121 and the upper wall 122 of the base 12. Further, although the flange 132 extending toward the housing 25 is directly held by the guide surface 251 by the bolt 16, the flange 132 may be inserted by providing a groove also on the housing 25 side like the base 12 side.

  The shift lever 11 has an operated portion 111 disposed in the vicinity of the grip portion 105 of the steering 101 as shown in FIG. 3 and can swing the operated portion 111 in the direction along the axis A of the shaft 102 Is connected to the case 13. The shift lever 11 is connected to the case 13 by a pin 112 disposed in a direction perpendicular to the axis A of the shaft 102, that is, a plane in which the flanges 131 and 132 extend and a plane parallel to the vertical plane S. ing. A switch operating portion 113 is provided on the opposite side of the operated portion 111 from the pin 112. The switch operating portion 113 extends into the case 13, and operates the micro switch assembled in the case 13 by operating the operated portion 111 in a direction to attract the steering 101.

  Further, the inside of the case includes an elastic member that biases the operated portion 111 so as to push it back in a direction away from the grip portion of the steering wheel 101. The wiring of the micro switch may extend from each of the right side case 13 and the left side case 13 or, after being bundled in either the right side or left side case 13 as the shift lever device 1, connected to the vehicle ECU You may The wires of the right and left case 13 may be connected by a so-called curled wire wound like a coil spring so that the case 13 can be displaced in the direction perpendicular to the axis A of the shaft 102.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view of the shift lever device 1 shown in FIG. 2 in the direction along the axis A of the shaft 102, with the upper wall 122 of the base 12 removed to expose the adjustment mechanism 14 is there. The adjusting mechanism 14 is incorporated in the base 12 as shown in FIG. 5 and positions the case 13 in a direction intersecting the axis A of the shaft 102. The adjustment mechanism 14 according to the first embodiment includes a drive screw 141, a driven screw 142, and a dial (operation unit) 143, as shown in FIGS. The adjustment mechanism 14 operates the drive screw 141 and the driven screw by rotating the dial 143 which is the operation unit, and moves the case 13 along the base 12 in the direction perpendicular to the vertical plane S, ie, the shift lever 11 Have a function of moving them in the direction in which they move toward or away from each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the drive screws 142 are disposed in a pair on the same line extending vertically from the vertical plane S passing the axis line A of the shaft 102 to the left and right sides. It is a right-handed screw. The right and left drive screws 141 are independent of each other, and have a driven bevel gear 144 at an end located on the vertical plane S side. The driven screw 142 is formed on the case 13 and fitted to the drive screw 141. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the driven screw 142 is formed on the side surface of the flange 131 of the case 13 facing the drive screw 141. The drive screw 141 is disposed behind the groove 123 of the base 12, and the driven screw 142 is engaged with the drive screw 141. Since the drive screw 141 is incorporated in the base 12 so as to rotate in place, the driven screw 142 is relatively moved as the drive screw 141 rotates. That is, when the drive screw 141 rotates, the case 13 is moved in the direction perpendicular to the vertical plane S.

  The dial 143 exposes the knob 145 to the outside of the column 103 along the vertical plane S, and rotates the pair of drive screws 141 simultaneously when the knob 145 is rotated. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the dial 143 has a drive bevel gear 146 simultaneously engaged with a driven bevel gear 144 provided on the pair of drive screws 141. The drive bevel gear 146 is attached to the tip of the operation shaft 147 which extends from the knob 145 along the vertical plane S into the column 103 as shown in FIG. The drive screw 141 is simultaneously rotated.

  As shown in FIG. 5, since the pair of drive screws 141 are both right-handed, when the drive screw 141 is rotated clockwise looking at the right side from the vertical surface S side, the case 13 on the right side is the vertical surface S side. When the drive screw 141 is rotated counterclockwise, the case 13 on the right side is separated from the vertical plane S side. Similarly, when the drive screw 141 is rotated clockwise looking at the left side from the vertical surface S side, the left case 13 approaches the vertical surface S side, and when the drive screw 141 is rotated counterclockwise, the left case Are separated from the vertical plane S. That is, in the present embodiment, the right drive screw 141 and the left drive screw 141 are always rotated in opposite directions by the drive bevel gear 146. As a result, the case 13 and the shift lever 11 move in opposite directions (mirror symmetry with respect to the vertical plane S) so that the right and left sides are always synchronized and approach or are separated from each other.

  Then, when viewed from the knob 145 side toward the column 103, when the knob 145 is rotated clockwise (clockwise), the operated portion 111 of the shift lever 11 moves toward the vertical surface S. The operated portion 111 is disposed at a position close to the shaft 102 of the steering 101 as shown in FIG. Further, when the knob 145 is rotated counterclockwise (counterclockwise), the operated portion 111 of the shift lever 11 moves in a direction away from the vertical plane S. The operated portion 111 is disposed at a position away from the shaft 102 of the steering 101 and approaching the gripping portion 105 as shown in FIG. That is, by moving the case 13 by the adjustment mechanism 14, the position of the shift lever 11 can be adjusted.

  The shift lever device 1 configured as described above adjusts the position of the operated portion 111 of the shift lever 11 to the position where the driver can most easily operate according to the size of the hand and the length of the finger. The operability of the shift lever device 1 is improved. For example, when the distance is set such that the to-be-operated portion 111 of the shift lever 11 is touched with the belly of the fingertip, the operation can be performed with high sensitivity. Therefore, a driver with a large hand can easily operate with the shift lever 11 narrowed as shown in FIG. 6A, and a driver with a small hand can spread the shift lever 11 as shown in FIG. 6B. Operation is easy. In the case of the shift lever device 1 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1, each time the operated portion 111 of the right shift lever 11 is pulled to the front, the gear is shifted up by one step, and the operated portion 111 of the left shift lever 11. Each step is shifted down by one each time you pull

  In addition, the adjustment mechanism 14 is provided with drive screws 141 including a driven bevel gear 144 symmetrically in the left-right direction, and simultaneously operated by the drive bevel gear 146 provided on the dial 143, the position of the operated portion 111 of the shift lever 11. It can be adjusted in left / right symmetry when expanding or narrowing. Further, the drive screw 141 is disposed along the direction in which the shift lever 11 is adjusted, and the driven screw 142 is incised on the flange 131 of the case 13 holding the shift lever 11. Even when pushed inward toward 102, the operated portion 111 can be maintained at the adjusted position without being easily shifted.

  Further, if the screw pitch of the drive screw 141 and the driven screw 142 is made finer, positioning can be performed in detail. The bolt 16 attached to the groove 123 of the base 12 into which the flange 131 of the case 13 is inserted is tightened to increase the sliding resistance between the flange 131 and the groove 123 or the rotational resistance of the drive screw 141 The holding power of the position of the case 13 may be increased by inserting a resin or the like to increase the pressure. Further, the drive screw 141 and the operation shaft 147 of the dial 143 may be fixed by a set screw or the like so as not to turn or the flange 131 of the case 13 may be fixed to the base 12. Furthermore, a scale or a mark may be attached to the knob 145 of the dial 143 so that the rotation angle can be known. Alternatively, the shift lever 11 in a range exposed or drawn out of the cover 104 of the column 103 may be marked or marked so that the position of the shift lever 11 can be known. In this case, since the left and right shift levers 11 move in synchronization with each other, a scale or a mark may be provided on either of the shift levers 11.

  The shift lever device 1 according to the second to fourth embodiments will be described below. The configurations having the same functions as the shift lever device 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals in each embodiment, and the detailed description will be made with reference to the description of the first embodiment and the drawings.

  The shift lever device 1 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. Note that the upper wall 122 of the base 12 is indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. 7, and the upper wall 122 is illustrated in FIG. 8 in a removed state. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the operated portion 111 of the shift lever 11 is closest to the vertical plane S, and FIG. 8 shows a state in which the operated portion 111 is farthest from the vertical plane S and close to the gripping portion 105 of the steering wheel 101. . The base 12 may be a block integrally formed as shown in FIG. 7 without being divided.

  The shift lever device 1 differs from the first embodiment in the structure of the adjustment mechanism 14 as shown in FIG. The adjustment mechanism 14 includes a drive screw 141, a driven screw 142, and a dial 143. The drive screw 141 is formed into a right-handed screw and a left-handed screw on one side and the other side, that is, on the right side and the left side with respect to the vertical surface S, and is connected to one connected with each other in the vertical surface S. The driven screw 142 is formed as a screw hole corresponding to the right screw and the left screw in the boss 133 provided on the flange 131 of the case 13. In the present embodiment, the right drive screw 141 is a right screw, and the left drive screw 141 is a left screw.

  The dial 143 has a drum-shaped knob 145 integrally formed coaxially with the drive screw 141 on the vertical surface S at a position where the drive screw 141 is connected. This knob 145 is exposed from the cover 104 of the column 103 as shown in FIG. 9 as in the first embodiment, and the exposed portion is directed vertically along the vertical plane S, that is, toward the steering 101 side. Alternatively, the drive screw 141 is simultaneously driven directly by rotating in a direction away from the steering 101.

  When viewed from the vertical plane S to the right, when the drive screw 141 of the right-handed screw is turned clockwise (clockwise), that is, when the part exposed from the cover 104 is rotated away from the steering 101 The operated portion 111 of the shift lever 11 approaches the vertical surface S, and the right-hand drive screw 141 rotates counterclockwise (ie, rotates the portion exposed from the cover 104 toward the steering 101). When 143 is rotated, the operated portion 111 of the shift lever 11 separates from the vertical plane S. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, in the vicinity of the knob 145 of the dial 143 exposed from the cover 104 of the column 103, when the dial 143 is rotated, the operated portions 111 of the shift lever 11 spread or narrow each other. An indicator M may be provided to make it visually easy to understand.

  The base 12 is formed with a groove 123 corresponding to the outer diameter of the boss 133. Further, the upper wall portion 122 of the base 12 is formed to cover the flange 132 of the case 13 extending toward the housing 25 side of the column unit 20, and the flange 15 is interposed between the housing 25 of the column unit 20 and the bolt 15. , Fixed at 16. In this embodiment, the driven screw 142 is provided on the boss 133 so as to surround the entire circumference so as to surround the drive screw 141 by at least a half or more circumference. May not be provided.

  In the shift lever device 1 configured as described above, the drive screw 141 and the driven screw 142 are formed on the right side and the left side on the right screw and the left screw, so the structure of the adjustment mechanism 14 is larger than that of the first embodiment. Be simplified. When the right drive screw (right screw) 141 is joined to the left drive screw (left screw) 141 in the vertical plane S, for example, the case 13 in which the drive screw 141 is attached in advance to the boss 133 of the case 13 has a vertical plane S The pin 143 may be inserted into the knob 145 of the dial 143 disposed at the position of (4) and the retaining pin in the radial direction. Alternatively, the boss 133 may be attached to a drive screw 141 of a right-handed screw and a left-handed screw formed integrally with the dial 143, and the boss 133 may be coupled to the flange 131 of the case 13 by a pin or the like. Instead of forming the drive screw 141 and the driven screw 142 on the right screw and the left screw, respectively, a rod having a spiral cam groove with a larger pitch than the screw and a pin fitted to the cam groove may be used.

  The shift lever device 1 of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a state in which the upper wall portion 122 of the base 12 is removed as shown in FIG. 8 of the second embodiment. As described in the first and second embodiments, the base 12 may be formed as an integral block without being divided.

  The shift lever device 1 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 10 differs in the structure of the adjustment mechanism 14. The adjustment mechanism 14 employs a worm gear 17 between the drive screw 141 and the dial 143. The drive screw 141 is formed into a right-handed screw and a left-handed screw on one side and on the other side with respect to the vertical surface S and in the present embodiment on the right and left sides, and provided with the worm wheel 171 of the worm gear 17 ing. The dial 143 has a worm 172 engaged with the worm wheel 171 along the vertical plane S, and a knob 145 provided coaxially to the worm 172 and attached to the end of the operation shaft 147 exposed from the cover 104 of the column 103. have.

  By adopting the worm gear 17 as the adjustment mechanism 14, fine adjustment of the positioning of the operated portion 111 of the shift lever 11 becomes possible compared to the second embodiment. In addition, it becomes easy to change the electric motor or the like which is not manually operated so as to be connected to the operation shaft 147 and driven. An electric motor may be connected to the operation shaft 147, and the operation button of the electric motor may be disposed at a position where the console or the steering wheel 101 can be easily operated.

  The shift lever device 1 of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. 11 shows a state in which the operated portion 111 of the shift lever 11 is closest to the vertical plane S, and FIG. 12 shows a state in which the operated portion 111 is farthest from the vertical plane S and closer to the grip portion 105 of the steering wheel 101. It is a perspective view. In FIG. 11, the upper wall 122 of the base 12 is shown by an imaginary line, and in FIG. 12, the upper wall 122 is shown removed.

  The adjustment mechanism 14 of the shift lever device 1 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 adopts the structure of a rack and pinion 18. The adjusting mechanism 14 is housed in the groove 123 of the base 12 and includes a rack 181, a pinion 182 and a dial 143. The rack 181 extends from the case 13 perpendicularly across a vertical plane S passing through the axis A of the shaft 102 of the steering 101. In the present embodiment, the rack 181 extending from the right case 13 extends to the left along the inner surface (the lower surface of the groove 123) of the lower wall 121 of the base 12 and the rack 181 extending from the left case 13 is the base It extends along the inner surface of the upper wall portion 122 (the lower surface of the groove 123), and is disposed with the tooth surfaces facing each other so as to overlap parallel to a plane perpendicular to the shaft 102 of the steering 101. The pinion 182 has a rotation axis arranged in the direction along the vertical surface S, and is engaged with the racks 181 respectively extended from the left and right cases 13 in the direction along the axis A of the shaft 102. A dial 143 is held at a position on the vertical plane S in a freely rotating state, and a dial 143 is provided at the end of the operation shaft 147 extending outside the cover 104 of the column 103 along the rotation axis of the pinion 182. It has a knob 145 attached.

  When the dial 143 of the shift lever device 1 configured as described above is rotated, the pinions 182 are held on the vertical surface S, so the racks 181 extended from the left and right cases 13 move relatively. As a result, the left and right cases 13 synchronously move in a direction approaching the vertical plane S or in a direction away from the vertical plane S. In the case of this embodiment, the rack 181 extending from the right case 13 is located on the lower side, and the rack 181 extending from the left case 13 is located on the upper side. When the knob 145 is operated so that the pinion 182 rotates in the clockwise direction (clockwise), the operated portion 111 moves in a direction approaching the vertical plane S, and viewed counterclockwise from the knob 145 side (left When the knob 145 is operated so as to rotate the pinion 182, the operated portion 111 moves away from the vertical plane S and moves in a direction approaching the grip portion 105 of the steering 101.

  In the present embodiment, the tooth surface of the rack 181 is disposed in parallel to a plane perpendicular to the axis A of the shaft 102 of the steering 101, but may be disposed in a direction perpendicular to the vertical plane S. For example, it may be disposed perpendicular to the axis A of the shaft 102. An electric motor may be coupled to and driven by an operation shaft 147 disposed along the rotation axis of the pinion 182.

  The four embodiments of the shift lever device 1 according to the present invention have been described above. These embodiments are merely an example to make the invention clearer. Therefore, it is not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The above-described embodiments and the modifications thereof are included in the scope of the invention and include the scope of equivalents to the invention described in the claims. In each embodiment, the left and right cases 13 are configured to move symmetrically with respect to the vertical plane S passing through the shaft 102 of the steering 101. However, separate adjustment mechanisms 14 are provided on the right and left sides, respectively. It may be adjustable. Furthermore, instead of exposing the dial 143 to the outside of the column 103 in the first, third and fourth embodiments, a special tool such as a hexagonal wrench inserted into the operation shaft 147 from the outside of the column 103 is connected and operated The shaft 147 may be rotated to adjust the position of the operated portion 111 of the shift lever 11.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Shift lever apparatus, 11 ... Shift lever, 111 ... Operated part, 12 ... Base, 121 ... Lower wall part, 122 ... Upper wall part, 123 ... Groove, 13 ... Case, 131, 132 ... Flange, 133 ... Boss , 14 ... adjustment mechanism, 141 ... drive screw, 142 ... driven screw, 143 ... dial (operation part), 144 ... driven bevel gear, 145 ... knob, 146 ... drive bevel gear, 147 ... operation shaft, 17 ... worm gear, 171 ... worm wheel, 172 ... worm, 181 ... rack, 182 ... pinion, A ... (shaft) axis, S ... vertical surface, 101 ... steering, 102 ... shaft, 103 ... column, 105 ... gripping portion.

Claims (7)

A shift lever device capable of gear shift operation while holding the steering of a vehicle,
A base fixed to a column surrounding an end of the shaft on which the steering is mounted;
A case guided along the base and movable in a direction intersecting the axis of the shaft;
A shift lever having an operated portion disposed in the vicinity of the grip portion of the steering, and coupled to the case so as to be pivotable in a direction along the axis of the shaft;
E Bei and a regulation mechanism that can adjust the position of the shift lever by moving the case in a direction crossing incorporated into the base to the axis of said shaft,
The shift lever and the case are arranged in pairs on the left and right sides of the shaft,
A shift lever device , wherein the adjustment mechanism moves the left and right cases in opposite directions to adjust the position of the shift lever. The adjustment mechanism is
A pair of drive screws disposed on the same line extending vertically from the vertical plane passing through the axis of the shaft;
A driven screw formed in the case, engaged with the drive screw, and rotating the case in a direction perpendicular to the vertical surface by rotation of the drive screw;
The exposed to the outside of the column, a shift lever device according to claim 1, characterized in that and a rotary steerable operating section the pair of drive screws simultaneously. The drive screw has a driven bevel gear at an end located on the vertical surface side,
3. The shift lever device according to claim 2 , wherein the operation portion has a drive bevel gear simultaneously engaged with the pair of driven bevel gears at a tip end of an operation shaft extending along the vertical surface. The driving screw is formed into a right-handed screw and a left-handed screw on one side and the other side with respect to the vertical plane, and is connected to each other on the vertical plane
The shift lever device according to claim 2 , wherein the operation portion is provided at a position where the drive screw is connected. The drive screw has a worm wheel at a portion formed on the right side and the right side of the vertical surface by the right side and the left side and connected to each other by the vertical side,
The shift lever device according to claim 2 , wherein the operation portion includes a worm engaged with the worm wheel along the vertical surface. The adjustment mechanism is
A rack extending from the case vertically across a vertical plane passing through the axis of the shaft;
A pinion disposed in a direction along the vertical surface and engaged with the rack;
And an operation unit for moving the case vertically to the vertical surface by being attached to an end of an operation shaft exposed to the outside of the column along the rotation axis of the pinion and operated. The shift lever device according to claim 1 . The shift lever device according to any one of claims 2 to 4 , wherein the adjustment mechanism includes an electric motor that rotates the drive screw directly or indirectly.

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