JP7773147B2 - Shift lever - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a shift lever for shifting an automatic transmission in an automobile.

Automobiles equipped with automatic transmissions are equipped with a shift lever for switching between P (parking) range and other ranges. The shift lever has a lever body that extends upward from the shift device and a shift knob attached to its upper end. The driver operates the shift lever by grasping the shift knob.

The shift knob is equipped with an unlock button (hereinafter simply referred to as the button). Pressing this button unlocks the shift lever, allowing the range to be changed. Generally speaking, the lever body comprises a lever shaft and a push rod (also called a detent rod) located inside it; the push rod descends in conjunction with pressing the button on the shift knob, thereby unlocking the shift lever. On the other hand, when the button is released, the force of the spring member causes the push rod to rise to its original position, locking the shift lever in the selected range position.

For example, in a shift lever with a button located on the front side of the shift knob, a mechanism is built into the shift knob that converts pushing the button backward into downward movement of the push rod. Patent Document 1 discloses a shift lever equipped with such a mechanism.

The shift lever in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a slider (conversion member) on the shift knob that is connected to the upper end of the push rod and can slide up and down. The upper part of the slider is an inclined surface (tilted plane) that slopes upward toward the rear, and the button abuts against this inclined surface. In other words, when the button is pressed and moves rearward, the slider moves downward via the inclined surface, causing the push rod to descend.

The shift lever in Patent Document 1 includes an inner core (holder member) fixed to the upper end of the lever body, and the slider is slidably inserted into a guide hole formed in this inner core. Protrusions extending in the vertical direction are provided on both the left and right side surfaces of the slider, and guide grooves for guiding the protrusions are formed on the left and right inner surfaces of the guide hole.

China Utility Model Registration No. 207921312

In the conventional shift lever disclosed in Patent Document 1, the inclined surface of the slider extends in the front-to-rear direction so as to straddle the position of the push rod, and as the button is operated, the contact position of the button with the inclined surface moves from in front of the push rod position to behind it.

As a result, in conventional shift levers, a rotational moment acts on the slider with the tip of the push rod as a fulcrum, and the direction of this rotational moment reverses halfway through operating the button. This reversal of the rotational moment changes the tilt direction of the slider, causing noise to be generated when the slider collides with the wall of the guide hole. Furthermore, when the slider tilts due to the rotational moment, for example, the edge of the slider may become a sliding contact point against the wall of the guide hole, hindering the smooth movement of the slider.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a shift lever that allows the slider (conversion member) to move in a more stable position when the button is operated.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention provides a shift lever that includes a lever body and a shift knob provided at a tip end thereof, and is operated to change the range of an automatic transmission of a vehicle, the lever body including a lever shaft and a push rod that is disposed inside the lever shaft and is biased toward the tip end thereof, and the shift knob includes an unlocking button that is pressed in a direction intersecting the push rod, a holder member that is fixed to the lever shaft and holds the button, and a conversion member that is held by the holder member so as to abut against the tip end of the push rod and be slidable in the axial direction of the push rod, and that converts movement of the button in the pressing operation direction into movement in the axial direction thereof to move the push rod. The conversion member has a pressable surface that moves the conversion member in the axial direction when pressed by the button that has received the pushing operation, and the pressable surface is provided only in an area of the conversion member that is on the counter-pushing direction side of the axis of the push rod , and the holder member has guide surfaces that guide the conversion member in the axial direction, and includes a first guide surface located on one side in the direction along the pushing direction and facing the counter-pushing direction side, and a second guide surface located on the other side and facing opposite to the first guide surface, and the conversion member further has a first rolling member abutting the first guide surface and a second rolling member abutting the second guide surface, and the first rolling member is offset toward the lever shaft in the axial direction relative to the second rolling member .

With this shift lever, the pressing surface of the button on the conversion member is located only in the area opposite the axis of the push rod, so that a rotational moment always acts on the conversion member in the same direction while the button is being operated. This means that there is no room for the rotational moment to reverse, as in conventional cases, and as a result, the conversion member can be moved in a more stable position.

Furthermore , the first rolling member contacts the first guide surface, and the second rolling member contacts the second guide surface, thereby suppressing or preventing the occurrence of sliding contact points on the conversion member, thereby enabling the conversion member to move more smoothly in response to button operation.

Furthermore , since the first rolling member is offset axially toward the lever shaft relative to the second rolling member, when the rotational moment acts on the conversion member, the orientation of the conversion member is constrained between the first guide surface and the second guide surface, which structurally prevents the conversion member from tilting when the button is operated.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned shift lever, it is preferable that the first rolling member and the second rolling member are offset from each other in a direction perpendicular to both the pushing direction and the axial direction.

This configuration suppresses or prevents the conversion member from tilting in the direction of rotation around the push rod. This allows the conversion member to move in a more stable position.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned shift lever, the conversion member may have an abutment surface against which the tip of the push rod abuts, and the abutment surface may be an inclined surface inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the push rod so that the push rod is pressed in a fixed direction along the pushing operation direction.

With this configuration, the push rod is pressed in a fixed direction within the lever shaft, along the pushing direction. This stabilizes the behavior of the push rod within the lever shaft, suppressing or preventing the generation of abnormal noise caused by the push rod colliding with the inner wall surface of the lever shaft.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned shift lever, the pressed surface may be a curved surface that nonlinearly changes the amount of movement of the push rod in response to the amount of depression of the button.

This configuration makes it possible to change the amount of push rod movement nonlinearly in response to the amount of button operation, increasing the degree of freedom in setting the operating force when operating the button.

As described above, the shift lever of the present invention allows the conversion member (slider) to move in a more stable position when the button is operated.

FIG. 2 is a side view (left side view) of the shift lever according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the shift lever. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the shift lever. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shift knob from the top with the cover removed. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the shift knob (a cross-sectional view including a push rod). FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion of the shift knob (a cross-sectional view in which the push rod is omitted). FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the shift lever illustrating the operation of the push rod by operating the button. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the operating force (operation load) and the operation stroke of a button. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the shape of the tip end of the push rod. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a main part of a conventional shift lever.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Overall configuration of shift lever 1]
1 to 3 show a shift lever 1 according to the present invention, with FIG. 1 being a side view (left side view), FIG. 2 being a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 3 being an exploded perspective view of the shift lever 1.

In a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission, the shift lever 1 is located on the center console between the driver's seat and the passenger seat. Note that the front-to-rear, left-to-right, and up-to-down directions used in the following explanation are based on the state in which the shift lever 1 is located on the center console of the vehicle.

The shift lever 1 comprises a lever body 2 extending vertically and a shift knob 4 attached to its upper end (tip). The lower end of the shift lever 1 is swingably connected to a shift device (not shown). When the driver swings the shift lever 1, the shift device switches the range between, for example, P (parking), R (reverse), N (neutral), and D (drive). However, the range types are not limited to these.

The lever body 2 includes a metal or resin lever shaft 10 that is swingably connected to the shift device, a metal or resin push rod 12 disposed inside the lever shaft 10, and a compression coil spring (not shown) that biases the push rod 12. The push rod 12 is also sometimes called a detent rod.

The lever shaft 10 is a cylindrical shaft with a circular cross-section hole 10a at its center that extends axially. The push rod 12 is also a circular cross-section shaft that is movably held within the shaft hole 10a of the lever shaft 10 and is biased upward by the compression coil spring.

The push rod 12 is configured to be able to engage and disengage with a detent mechanism (not shown) provided within the shift device. Specifically, the push rod 12 engages with the detent mechanism when pushed down against the biasing force of a compression coil spring, and disengages from the detent mechanism when pushed up by the biasing force of the compression coil spring. The detent mechanism prevents the lever body 2 from swinging when the push rod 12 is engaged, and allows the lever body 2 to swing when the engagement is released. In other words, when the push rod 12 is engaged with the detent mechanism, the shift lever 1 is locked in the selected range position, and when the engagement is released, the range can be changed using the shift lever 1.

The shift knob 4 is the part that the driver grips when changing ranges, and as mentioned above, is attached to the upper end of the lever body 2. The shift knob 4 includes a holder member 30 that serves as its base, an unlock button 20 for unlocking the shift lever 1, a slider 40 for moving the push rod 12 in conjunction with the operation of the unlock button 20 (hereinafter referred to as button 20), and covers.

The holder member 30 is a block-shaped resin member in the shape of a roughly rectangular prism that is slightly elongated in the vertical direction. A fitting hole 31 that extends in the vertical direction and opens to the underside of the holder member 30 is formed in the center of the lower part of the holder member 30. The upper end of the lever main body 2 is fitted into this fitting hole 31. The holder member 30 and the lever shaft 10 are fixed together by a fixing spring (not shown). This allows the holder member 30 to be attached to the upper end of the lever main body 2.

The button 20 is the part that is pressed by the driver when changing ranges, and is located in front of the shift knob 4.

As shown in Figure 2, the button 20 has a triangular prism shape that extends left and right and is slightly pointed forward. The button 20 is supported so as to be able to swing on the front surface of the holder member 30. Specifically, a plate-shaped protrusion 21 that protrudes rearward is provided on the lower rear side of the button 20, and this protrusion 21 is positioned between a pair of left and right mounting portions 36 that protrude from the front surface of the holder member 30. The protrusion 21 is connected to this pair of mounting portions 36 by a shaft 22.

With this configuration, the button 20 is supported by the holder member 30 in a state in which it can swing back and forth around its rear lower portion (axis 22) as a fulcrum, i.e., can be pushed backward.

A pressing portion 24 that protrudes rearward is further provided on the upper rear side of the button 20 (above the protrusion 21). The pressing portion 24 is the part that presses the slider 40 when the button 20 is pressed.

The tip of the pressing portion 24 is inserted into the guide recess 32 of the holder member 30 (described below) through an opening 37 formed in the front surface of the holder member 30. A pressing roller 25 is provided at the tip of the pressing portion 24, and the pressing portion 24 presses the slider 40 via this pressing roller 25.

A torsion coil spring 23 is attached to the shaft 22, and the button 20 is biased forward relative to the holder member 30 by the resilience of this torsion coil spring 23. To be precise, the button 20 is biased counterclockwise around the shaft 22 (counterclockwise in Figure 2).

The tip of the pressing portion 24 is provided with a stopper portion 24a that engages with the upper edge of the opening 37 from the inside of the guide recess 32. As shown in Figure 2, the home position of the button 20 is when this stopper portion 24a engages with the upper edge of the opening 37. When not being pressed, the button 20 is held in this home position by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 23.

The slider 40 is a conversion member that converts the movement of the button 20 in the pressing direction into axial movement of the push rod 12. In this example, it converts the rearward movement of the button 20 into downward movement of the push rod 12.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the shift knob 4 (with covers removed) viewed from above, and Figure 5 is a perspective view of the slider 40. Figures 6(a) and 7 are cross-sectional views of essential parts of the shift knob 4, both showing the state before the button 20 is pressed. Note that the push rod 12 is omitted from Figure 7.

As shown in Figures 2, 4, and 6-7, the slider 40 is slidably disposed within a guide recess 32 formed in the holder member 30. The guide recess 32 is a downwardly recessed guide hole formed in the upper surface of the holder member 30. The fitting hole 31 opens into the inner bottom surface of the guide recess 32, and the upper end 12a of the push rod 12 protrudes from this opening into the guide recess 32.

As shown in Figure 5, the slider 40 comprises, in order from the front, a pressed portion 41, a front guide portion 44, and a rear guide portion 46. The front guide portion 44 protrudes further to the left and right than the pressed portion 41 and the rear guide portion 46. As a result, the slider 40 has a roughly cross-shaped configuration in a plan view.

The pressed portion 41 is the portion that is pressed by the button 20 when the button 20 is pressed. The pressed portion 41 has a pressed surface 42, and as shown in Figures 2, 6(a), and 7, the pressing portion 24 (pressing roller 25) of the button 20 abuts against this pressed surface 42 from above. As previously described, the pressing portion 24 is inserted into the guide recess 32 from the front of the holder member 30 via the opening 37.

The pressure-receiving surface 42 is formed with a rising edge from the front to the rear. Therefore, when the button 20 is pressed and moves rearward, the slider 40 is pressed down along the guide recess 32.

The pressable surface 42 is formed as a curved surface (a surface with a curved cross-section) so that the amount of movement of the slider 40 changes nonlinearly with the amount of depression of the button 20, i.e., so that the amount of movement of the push rod 12 changes nonlinearly. In this example, the pressable surface 42 is formed as a curved surface that curves upward toward the rear so that the amount of movement of the push rod 12 for a given amount of button depression is greater mainly in the first half of the button 20 depression operation compared to mainly in the second half. Specifically, the pressable surface 42 is formed as an arcuate surface (a surface with an arcuate cross-section). In this example, for example, the pressable surface 42 is formed as an arcuate surface of radius R centered on the central axis Ax1 of the push rod 12. The radius of the arcuate surface forming the pressable surface 42 is set based on the relationship between the operation stroke of the button 20 and the operation force (operation load) of the button 20.

The pressed surface 42 is the surface that the pressing portion 24 (pressure roller 25) actually contacts and presses against the slider 40, and the two areas indicated by the arrows in Figure 6(b) are the pressed surface 42. Figure 6(b) is an enlarged view of the main part of Figure 6(a) showing the pressed surface 42.

In this example, the pressed surface 42 is provided in an area of the slider 40 forward of the central axis Ax1 of the push rod 12 (in the direction opposite to the pushing direction of the button 20). Therefore, the button 20 presses only the area of the slider 40 forward of the central axis Ax1 of the push rod 12.

The pressed portion 41 is further provided with a pair of left and right side walls 43 that sandwich the pressed surface 42. These side walls 43 regulate the position of the pressing portion 24. These side walls 43 position the button 20 and slider 40 relative to each other in the left-right direction.

The front guide portion 44 is located behind the pressed portion 41 and, as mentioned above, protrudes further to the left and right than the pressed portion 41. Each of these protruding portions is provided with a guide roller 45. The rear guide portion 46 is located on the opposite side (rear side) of the pressed portion 41, with the front guide portion 44 in between, and is also provided with a guide roller 47 similar to that of the front guide portion 44. Both guide rollers 45, 47 are provided to be rotatable around an axis extending in the left-right direction.

As shown in Figures 5, 6(a), and 7, the guide roller 45 of the front guide portion 44 and the guide roller 47 of the rear guide portion 46 are offset from each other in the vertical direction. Specifically, the guide roller 47 of the rear guide portion 46 is positioned below (toward the lever shaft 10) the guide roller 45 of the front guide portion 44.

In other words, the guide rollers 45 of the front guide section 44 and the guide rollers 47 of the rear guide section 46 are offset from each other in the front-to-back, up-down, and left-to-right directions. In the following description, the guide rollers 45 of the front guide section 44 may be referred to as the "front guide rollers 45," and the guide rollers 47 of the rear guide section 46 may be referred to as the "rear guide rollers 47."

The slider 40 is entirely molded from a resin body part 40P, with the exception of the guide rollers 45, 47 and their support shafts. The metal guide rollers 45, 47, etc. are assembled into this resin body part 40P. In this case, as shown in Figure 5, the front guide roller 45 is partially exposed to the front side from the body part 40P, and the rear guide roller 47 is partially exposed to the rear side from the body part 40P.

The underside of the slider 40 (main body part 40P) has an upwardly recessed recess 48. The innermost surface (ceiling surface) of the recess 48 is the abutment surface 48a of the push rod 12. As shown in Figure 6(a), the upper end 12a of the push rod 12, which is biased upward by the elastic force of the compression coil spring, abuts against this abutment surface 48a. Therefore, when the button 20 is pressed and the slider 40 is pushed down, the push rod 12 moves downward against the elastic force of the compression coil spring. In other words, the slider 40 converts the rearward movement of the button 20 into downward movement of the push rod 12.

As shown in Figures 2 and 6(a), in this example, the upper end 12a of the push rod 12 is spherical, and therefore the push rod 12 makes point contact with the abutment surface 48a. The abutment surface 48a is also inclined upward from the front to the rear. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6(a), the abutment surface 48a is formed so that the angle θ between the abutment surface 48a and an imaginary plane perpendicular to the central axis Ax1 of the push rod 12 is 0° < θ < 11°. In this example, the abutment surface 48a is formed so that θ = 5.5°. With this configuration, the push rod 12 is constantly pressed backward by the slider 40, as indicated by the white arrow in Figure 6(a). In other words, the abutment surface 48a is formed as an inclined surface inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the push rod 12, so that the push rod 12 is pressed backward (in a fixed direction along the pressing direction of the button 20).

As shown in Figure 4, the guide recess 32 of the holder member 30 is formed with a generally cross-shaped cross section that corresponds to the planar contour of the slider 40. Specifically, the guide recess 32 has a main recess 33 that is elongated in the front-to-rear direction and has a rectangular cross section, and grooves 34 formed on the left and right inner wall surfaces of this main recess 33.

The slider 40 is positioned within the guide recess 32, with the front guide portion 44 located within the groove 34 and the remaining portion located within the main recess 33. As shown in Figures 4 and 6(a), the front guide roller 45 abuts against the front side surface 34a (referred to as the front guide surface 34a) of the groove 34, and the rear guide roller 47 abuts against the rear side surface 33a (referred to as the rear guide surface 33a) of the main recess 33. With this configuration, the slider 40 is held in the holder member 30 in a state where it can slide up and down.

The rear guide surface 33a is located on one side (rear side) in the direction along the pressing direction of the button 20 (front-to-back direction) and faces in the opposite direction (front side). The front guide surface 34a is located on the other side (front side) in the direction along the pressing direction of the button 20 (front-to-back direction) and faces in the opposite direction to the rear guide surface 33a. Therefore, in this example, the rear guide surface 33a corresponds to the "first guide surface" of the present invention, and the front guide surface 34a corresponds to the "second guide surface" of the present invention. The rear guide roller 47 corresponds to the "first rolling member" of the present invention, and the front guide roller 45 corresponds to the "second rolling member" of the present invention.

The covers of the shift knob 4 are members that are attached to the holder member 30 and form its surface (outer shell). As shown in FIG. 3, the covers include, for example, a right cover 50R, a left cover 50L, a center cover 50C, and a lower cover 50D. The right cover 50R forms the surface of mainly the right region of the shift knob 4, and the left cover 50L forms the surface of mainly the left region of the shift knob 4. The center cover 50C is positioned between the right cover 50R and the left cover 50L and forms the surface of the portion of the shift knob 4 that extends from the center of the top to the center of the rear. The lower cover 50D forms the surface of the portion of the shift knob 4 that connects to the lever body 2.

[Action and effect of shift lever 1]
8A and 8B are cross-sectional views of the shift lever 1 illustrating the operation of the push rod 12 when the button 20 is pressed. Fig. 8A shows the state when the button is being pressed, and Fig. 8B shows the state when the button has been pressed.

To change the range of the automatic transmission, the driver grasps the lever body 2 and pushes the button 20 rearward, unlocking the shift lever 1. When the button 20 is pushed rearward from the home position (the position shown in Figure 6(a)), the pressing portion 24 (pressing roller 25) moves rearward along the pressed surface 42 of the button 20, pushing the slider 40 downward, as shown in Figure 8(a). As the slider 40 moves, the push rod 12 also moves downward.

When the button 20 is pressed completely, that is, when the button 20 moves from the home position to the end of its operating stroke, the push rod 12 moves to its lowering end, as shown in Figure 8(b), and the shift lever 1 is unlocked. Therefore, the driver can change the range of the automatic transmission by swinging the shift lever 1.

When the driver releases the button 20, the push rod 12 rises due to the biasing force of the compression coil spring, and as the push rod 12 rises, the slider 40 and button 20 are reset to their original positions. This locks the shift lever 1 in the selected range position.

In the series of shift lever 1 operations described above, the shift lever 1 has the following effects:

First, in the above-described shift lever 1, the pressed surface 42 of the slider 40 is located forward of the position of the central axis Ax1 of the push rod 12, and the direction of the rotational moment M acting on the slider 40 with the upper end 12a of the push rod 12 as a fulcrum is always maintained in the same direction from the start to the end of pressing the button 20. Specifically, as shown in Figures 6(a) and 8, the direction of the rotational moment M is always counterclockwise when viewed from the left side of the shift lever 1. This allows the slider 40 to move in a stable position, preventing the generation of abnormal noise that occurs with conventional shift levers (Prior Art Document 1). This point will be explained below with reference to Figure 11.

Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a conventional shift lever. In conventional shift levers, the pressed surface 420 of the slider 400 is an inclined surface that extends across the central axis Ax1 of the push rod 120 in the fore-and-aft direction. The button's contact position 200 relative to the pressed surface 420 moves from the front to the rear of the central axis Ax1 as the button is pressed. In this case, when the button's contact position 200 is located in front of the central axis Ax1 (mainly in the first half of the button operation), a counterclockwise rotational moment M1 acts on the slider 400. When the button's contact position 200 is located behind the central axis Ax1 (mainly in the second half of the button operation), a clockwise rotational moment M2 acts on the slider 400. The application of rotational moments M1 and M2 causes the slider 400 to tilt in the front-to-rear direction within the sliding gap, and the direction of the rotational moment then reverses, changing the direction of the tilt. In other words, the position of the central axis Ax1 becomes a critical point. As a result, the slider 400 may collide with a holder member (not shown), causing an abnormal noise (collision sound).

However, with the above-mentioned shift lever 1, as previously mentioned, the direction of the rotational moment M acting on the slider 40 remains the same from the start to the end of pressing the button 20, and the direction of the rotational moment M does not reverse.

Furthermore, with the shift lever 1 described above, tilting of the slider 40 itself is highly suppressed or prevented. Specifically, the slider 40 is provided with a front guide roller 45 that abuts against the front guide surface 34a of the guide recess 32, and a rear guide roller 47 that abuts against the rear guide surface 33a. The front guide roller 45 is offset upward relative to the rear guide roller 47. Therefore, when a rotational moment M is applied by button operation as shown in FIG. 6(a), the slider 40 is constrained in position between the front guide surface 34a and the rear guide surface 33a, leaving no room for tilting in the front-to-rear direction. Additionally, the left-to-right offset between the front guide roller 45 and the rear guide roller 47 also suppresses or prevents tilting of the slider 40 around the central axis Ax1 of the push rod 12.

Therefore, with the above-described shift lever 1, the slider 40 can be moved in a more stable position when the button 20 is pressed, thereby preventing the generation of abnormal noises (collision noises) that were previously heard.

As previously mentioned, the slider 40 moves while the guide rollers 45, 47 are in contact with the inner surfaces of the guide recess 32 (rear guide surface 33a, front guide surface 34a), so there is no room for sliding contact between the button 20 and the holder member 30. Therefore, the shift lever 1 allows the slider 40 to move more smoothly, improving the operating feel when pressing the button 20.

In addition, with the shift lever 1, the push rod 12 is constantly pressed backward by the slider 40 (white arrow in Figure 6(a)), so when the button 20 is operated, the push rod 12 moves while constantly pressed against the rear inner wall surface of the shaft hole 10a, as shown in Figures 6(a) and 8.

This makes it easier for the behavior of the push rod 12 to be stable when the button is operated, preventing, for example, the push rod 12 from moving unstably radially within the shaft hole 10a and colliding with the inner wall surface of the shaft hole 10a, which would cause an abnormal noise (impact sound).

Furthermore, in the above-described shift lever 1, the pressed surface 42 of the slider 40 is formed as a curved surface that curves upward toward the rear. Therefore, compared to conventional shift levers (see Figure 11) in which the pressed surface of the slider is formed as an inclined surface, there is a greater degree of freedom in the design of the operating force of the button 20, and there is also the advantage that the operating force of the button 20 can be set lower than in conventional shift levers. This point will be explained below using Figure 9.

Figure 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the operating force and operating stroke of the button. The dashed line represents a shift lever with a conventional structure, and the solid line represents the shift lever 1 described above. The operating stroke of the button and the specified amount of movement of the push rod (the movement required to unlock) are both the same.

In conventional shift levers, where the slider's pressed surface is an inclined surface, the amount of push rod movement changes linearly depending on the amount of button operation, and as shown in Figure 9, the button operation force (operation load) also increases at a constant rate. The button operation stroke is naturally limited by the structure of the shift knob, and when ensuring the specified amount of push rod movement within a fixed operation stroke, the gradient of the inclined surface is limited to a certain extent. Therefore, with shift levers of conventional structure, there is a natural limit to how much operation force can be reduced, and the degree of freedom in setting the operation force is low.

In contrast, if the pressed surface 42 of the slider 40 is curved, as in the shift lever 1 described above, the amount of movement of the push rod 12 can be changed nonlinearly in response to the amount of button operation. Therefore, by selecting the shape of the curved surface according to the target operating force, it is possible to achieve the desired operating force.

In the shift lever 1, the pressed surface 42 is formed by the arcuate surface as described above. With this configuration, when the button 20 is pressed, the amount of movement of the push rod 12 at the beginning of the operation, when the biasing force of the compression coil spring is relatively small, is greater than the amount of movement of the push rod 12 at the end of the operation, when the biasing force is relatively large. As a result, as shown in Figure 9, the maximum operating force for the button 20, i.e., the operating force at the end of the pressing operation, can be kept lower than that of shift levers with conventional structures.

In Figure 9, the operating force required to press the button 20 on the shift lever 1 is greater in the initial stage than on a conventional shift lever. This is because the slope of the pressure-receiving surface 42 (arc surface) at the beginning of operation is greater than on a conventional structure (inclined surface). As a result, the operating force required for the shift lever 1 is greater in the initial stage and lower in the final stage, as shown in Figure 9, resulting in a smaller difference in operating force FD1 between the start and end of operation than the difference in operating force FD2 for a conventional shift lever. In other words, the shift lever 1 allows the driver to operate the button 20 with a more constant operating force from the start to the end of operation. This, in turn, offers the advantage of improved operability of the button 20.

[Modifications, etc.]
The shift lever 1 described above is an example of a preferred embodiment of the shift lever according to the present invention, and its specific configuration can be changed without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the following configurations can also be said to fall within the scope of the present invention.

(1) In the above-described shift lever 1, the slider 40 is provided with guide rollers 45, 47, but the guide rollers 45, 47 may be omitted. In this case, the slider 40 can be provided with guided surfaces that abut against the guide surfaces 33a, 34a as an alternative to the guide rollers 45, 47. With this configuration, as with the above-described shift lever 1, it is possible to suppress or prevent tilting of the slider 40. In this case, even if the slider 40 tilts in the forward/backward direction within the sliding gap, the direction of the rotational moment M acting on the slider 40 is constant, so the tilt direction of the slider 40 does not change during button operation. This makes it possible to move the slider 40 in a stable position.

(2) The slider 40 of the shift lever 1 is equipped with guide rollers 45, 47 as the first and second rolling members of the present invention, but the rolling members are not limited to rollers. They may be spherical (ball) bodies as long as they are configured to roll along the inner surface of the guide recess 32. The slider 40 also has a pair of front guide rollers 45 on the left and right, and a single rear guide roller 47 positioned behind the pair of front guide rollers 45 so as to correspond to a midpoint between the two front guide rollers 45. However, the number and arrangement of the guide rollers 45, 47 are not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. However, to prevent tilting of the slider 40, it is desirable that the guide rollers 45, 47 be offset at least front-to-rear and up-down, as in the shift knob 4 of the above embodiment.

(3) In the above-described shift lever 1, the pressed surface 42 of the slider 40 is formed as a curved surface (arcuate surface) that curves upward toward the rear. However, as long as the pressed surface 42 is configured to be located forward of the central axis Ax1 of the push rod 12, the pressed surface 42 may be a conventional inclined surface.

(4) In the shift lever 1 described above, the upper end 12a of the push rod 12 is spherical. However, the shape of the upper end 12a may be such that it can be constantly pushed rearward by the slider 40 by abutting against the abutment surface 48a of the slider 40, i.e., it can be in point or line contact with the abutment surface 48a. Specifically, it may be a cone shape as shown in FIG. 10(a) or a mountain shape with a triangular or semicircular cross section extending in the left-right direction as shown in FIGS. 10(b) and (c). Note that the upper end 12a of the push rod 12 may be flat, as long as the inclination angle of the abutment surface 48a allows the push rod 12 to be constantly pushed rearward.

(5) In the above-described shift lever 1, the button 20 is provided on the front side of the shift knob 4, and is configured to be pressed backward. However, the button 20 may also be provided on either the left or right side of the shift knob 4, and configured to be pressed left or right.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Shift lever 2 Lever body 4 Shift knob 10 Lever shaft 12 Push rod 20 Lock release button 24 Pressing portion 25 Pressing roller 30 Holder member 32 Guide recess 33a Rear guide surface (first guide surface)
34a front guide surface (second guide surface)
40 Slider (conversion member)
41 Pressed portion 42 Pressed surface 43 Side wall portion 44 Front guide portion 45 Guide roller (second rolling member)
46 Rear guide portion 47 Guide roller (first rolling member)

Claims (4)

A shift lever having a lever body and a shift knob provided at the tip of the lever body, which is operated to change the range of an automatic transmission of a vehicle,
the lever body includes a lever shaft and a push rod disposed inside the lever shaft and biased toward the tip end,
The shift knob includes: an unlocking button that is pushed in a direction intersecting the push rod; a holder member that is fixed to the lever shaft and holds the button; and a conversion member that is held by the holder member so as to abut against a tip end of the push rod and be slidable in the axial direction of the push rod, and that converts movement of the button in the pushing operation direction into movement in the axial direction to move the push rod.
the conversion member has a pressable surface that moves the conversion member in the axial direction when pressed by the button that has been pressed, and the pressable surface is provided only in a region of the conversion member that is on a side opposite to the pushing direction from the position of the axis of the push rod ,
the holder member has a guide surface that guides the conversion member in the axial direction, the guide surface being a first guide surface located on one side in a direction along the pushing-in direction and facing in a direction opposite to the pushing-in direction, and a second guide surface located on the other side and facing in a direction opposite to the first guide surface;
the conversion member further includes a first rolling member that contacts the first guide surface and a second rolling member that contacts the second guide surface,
The shift lever according to claim 1, wherein the first rolling member is offset toward the lever shaft in the axial direction relative to the second rolling member . 2. The shift lever according to claim 1 ,
A shift lever according to claim 1, wherein the first rolling member and the second rolling member are offset from each other in a direction perpendicular to both the pushing direction and the axial direction. 3. The shift lever according to claim 1,
the conversion member has an abutment surface against which the tip end of the push rod abuts,
A shift lever characterized in that the abutment surface is an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the push rod so that the push rod is pressed in a certain direction along the pushing operation direction. 4. The shift lever according to claim 1,
The pressure-receiving surface is a curved surface that nonlinearly changes the amount of movement of the push rod in response to the amount of depression of the button.