JP7833239B2 - Shift lock release hole opening structure and vehicle equipped therewith - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a shift lock release hole opening structure for releasing the shift lock in a vehicle.

In vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions, or so-called automatic cars, the shift lever for switching gear ranges is located protruding from the console panel. For safety reasons, when the vehicle is parked and the shift lever is in the parking position, a shift lock engages, preventing shifting to other gears. Therefore, shifting to other gears can only be performed with the engine running and the brake applied.

However, there are times when you want to move the gear lever to the neutral position without starting the engine, such as in the event of a vehicle malfunction. Therefore, the shift lock device is equipped with a shift lock release mechanism that allows you to release the lock by physically pushing it downwards.

Specifically, the shift lock can be released by inserting a slender tool, such as a screwdriver, through a release opening provided in the console panel where the shift lever protrudes, and pressing a designated operating member of the shift lock release mechanism.

To prevent easy disengagement of the shift lock from this console, a cover requiring tools to remove is often provided to block the disengagement opening.

However, removing the cover with tools each time the vehicle needs to be moved is cumbersome and inconvenient in emergencies. Furthermore, traditionally, the cover is often exposed on the console panel, which detracts from the aesthetics of the vehicle's interior.

Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle console structure in which a cylindrical drink holder or a rectangular storage compartment is provided with a release opening for releasing the shift lock on its side, and a cover body to close the opening.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-73188

According to the vehicle console structure described in Patent Document 1, a release opening is provided in the inner wall of the drink holder, etc., of the console, and a cover body is attached by hooking it onto this release opening with a claw. Furthermore, the drink holder, etc., is equipped with a lid that follows the upper opening for storing items, and by pushing this lid downwards, the lid becomes the bottom, exposing the storage space.

Therefore, when the drink holder or similar is not in use, the cover can be concealed by the lid that blocks the top of the opening. Furthermore, even when the drink holder or similar is in use, its placement on the inner wall of the storage space makes it less visible, and the stored items can conceal the cover.

However, the vehicle console structure described in Patent Document 1 has a removable cover, which means there is a risk of losing the removed cover when releasing the shift lock. If the cover is lost, there is nothing to cover the release opening, and water droplets from, for example, a plastic bottle stored in the drink holder could potentially enter through the release opening.

Furthermore, when pressing the shift lock release mechanism with a tool, because a release opening is provided in the inner wall of the storage space, it is necessary to insert the tool at an angle and lift the handle upwards. While Patent Document 1 includes a structure to guide the tool's movement during this process, lifting the tool upwards is not particularly efficient. Additionally, since the shift lever must be switched simultaneously with this release operation, the operation becomes cumbersome.

This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a shift lock release hole opening structure and a vehicle equipped therewith that does not require the use of tools to open the shift lock release hole and does not impair the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle's interior.

To solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the system comprises a console panel, an opening provided in the console panel, a shift lock release hole opening facing the opening, a release hole cover covering the shift lock release hole, and a lid covering the opening and the release hole cover. The release hole cover is designed to be switchable by sliding between a closed position that blocks the shift lock release hole and an open position that opens the shift lock release hole. The lid is designed to be switchable by sliding between a closed lid position that blocks the entire opening and an open lid position that partially opens the opening and blocks the shift lock release hole. The release hole cover is characterized in that, when in the open state, it holds the lid in a position that opens the shift lock release hole.

Furthermore, the release hole cover is characterized by its overall tilt when in the open position, which allows it to contact the lid at a fully open position, even wider than the open position, thereby holding the lid in a position that opens the shift lock release hole.

Furthermore, a shift lock release mechanism is provided below the shift lock release hole, which releases the shift lock when pressed. A guide section is also provided below the shift lock release hole to guide the tool used when pressing the shift lock release mechanism.

According to the present invention, the shift lock release hole can be opened by moving the release hole cover and the lid, thus allowing the shift lock release hole to be opened easily without the use of tools.

Furthermore, since the lid is positioned to cover the shift lock release hole even when opened, the user will not see the shift lock release hole during normal use, eliminating the risk of detracting from the aesthetics of the console panel.

Furthermore, by designing the shift lock release hole to be exposed only when the release hole cover is slid, the shift lock release hole can be positioned more discreetly, ensuring a high level of security.

Furthermore, the release hole cover is designed to be slid to open the shift lock release hole, eliminating the need to remove the cover and thus preventing its loss.

Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 3, the shift lock release mechanism can be pressed simply by inserting a tool along the guide portion provided at the bottom of the shift lock release hole, thereby improving the work efficiency of the release operation.

This is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a shift lock release hole opening structure according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a shift lock release hole opening structure according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a release hole opening structure according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic plan view showing a heart cam mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic plan view illustrating the opening and closing operation of a lid according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic plan view illustrating the opening and closing operation of a lid according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic plan view illustrating the operation of opening the shift lock release hole according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows the configuration of a shift lock release hole opening structure according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows the configuration of a shift lock release hole opening structure according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a shift lock release hole opening structure according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a release hole opening structure according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The gist of this invention is a console panel comprising: a console panel; an opening provided in the console panel; a shift lock release hole opening facing the opening; a release hole cover covering the shift lock release hole; and a lid covering the opening and the release hole cover. The release hole cover is designed to be switchable by sliding between a closed position that blocks the shift lock release hole and an open position that opens the shift lock release hole. The lid is designed to be switchable by sliding between a closed lid position that blocks the entire opening and an open lid position that partially opens the opening and blocks the shift lock release hole. The release hole cover, when in the open state, holds the lid in a position that opens the shift lock release hole.

Furthermore, the release hole cover is characterized by its overall tilted position when in the open position, which allows it to contact the lid in a fully open position, even wider than the open position, thereby holding the lid in a position that opens the shift lock release hole.

Furthermore, a shift lock release mechanism 300 is provided below the shift lock release hole, which releases the shift lock when pressed. The lower part of the shift lock release hole also features a guide section for guiding the tool used to press the shift lock release mechanism 300.

The following description will explain one embodiment of the shift lock release hole opening structure according to the present invention, with reference to the attached drawings. The following embodiment is an example of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

For the sake of clarity, the directions indicated by arrows Fr, Rr, LH, and RH in each drawing correspond to the forward, rear, left, and right directions, respectively, in a vehicle equipped with the shift lock release hole opening structure according to this embodiment. Furthermore, in the following description, the directions of front/rear, up/down, and left/right generally refer to the front/rear, up/down, and left/right directions of the vehicle, respectively. In this embodiment, the shift lock release hole opening structure M is provided in the forward direction relative to the shift lever 200, but is not limited to this and may be provided anywhere within the range from which the shift lock release mechanism 300 can be operated. That is, it may be provided not only in the forward direction, but also in the rear, left, and right directions, as long as it is in the vicinity of the shift lever 200 located above the shift lock release mechanism 300.

Figure 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating the configuration of the shift lock release hole opening structure M, showing the shift lock release hole 500 in an open state. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the internal configuration of the shift lock release hole opening structure M. Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the configuration of the shift lock release hole opening structure M, with the release hole cover 600 omitted mainly to illustrate the slide guide 610. Figure 4 is a schematic plan view illustrating the heart cam mechanism 800 that makes the lid 700 of the shift lock release hole opening structure M slidable. Figure 5 is a schematic plan view illustrating the opening and closing operation of the lid 700, where (a) shows the closed position and (b) shows the fully open position. Figure 6 is a schematic plan view illustrating the opening and closing operation of the lid 700, where (a) shows the fully open position and (b) shows the open position. Figure 7 is a schematic plan view illustrating the operation to open the shift lock release hole 500, where (a) shows the lid 700 in the closed position, (b) shows the lid 700 in the open position, (c) shows the lid 700 in the fully open position and the release hole cover 600 in the closed position, and (d) shows the lid 700 in the fully open position and the release hole cover 600 in the open position. Figure 8 is a schematic plan view illustrating the configuration of the shift lock release hole opening structure M, showing the opening 400 closed. Figure 9 is a schematic plan view illustrating the configuration of the shift lock release hole opening structure M, showing the opening 400 partially open. Figure 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the shift lock release hole opening structure M, showing how the lid 700 is held in the open position by opening the release hole cover 600. Figure 11 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the configuration of the shift lock release hole opening structure M, showing how the release hole cover 600 is opened to hold the lid 700 in the open position.

As shown in Figure 1, the shift lock release hole opening structure M according to this embodiment comprises a console panel 100 from which a shift lever 200 for switching gear ranges protrudes, an opening 400 provided on the surface of the console panel 100, a shift lock release hole 500 opening facing the opening 400, a release hole cover 600 covering the shift lock release hole 500, and a lid 700 covering the opening 400 and the release hole cover 600.

Below the shift lever 200, which protrudes from the console panel 100, as shown in Figure 2, are a shift lock device (not shown) for locking the shift and a shift lock release mechanism 300 that allows the shift lock to be released. Furthermore, the shift lock release mechanism 300 is configured to release the shift lock by physically activating the locking mechanism of the shift lock device when pushed down.

The opening 400 is formed by opening a rectangular section in the surface of the console panel 100. It is located near the shift lever 200 that protrudes from the console panel 100. Furthermore, a USB port 410 for power supply is provided in a portion of the opening 400, as shown in Figure 1. The portion of the opening 400 is not limited to the USB port 410; it could also be a small storage compartment with a certain amount of storage space, or a power outlet for power supply, etc.

A shift lock release hole 500 is drilled in a portion of the opening 400, on the side of the shift lever 200, connecting to the shift lock release mechanism 300.

As shown in Figure 2, a cylindrical guide portion 510 is provided at the lower part of the shift lock release hole 500, ensuring that tools used to release the shift lock are reliably guided to the shift lock release mechanism 300.

A release hole cover 600, which is slidable in the left-right direction in Figure 1, is provided above the shift lock release hole 500. When this release hole cover 600 is moved to its furthest left (right side), it closes the top of the shift lock release hole 500, and when moved to its furthest left (left side), it opens the shift lock release hole 500. (Hereafter, the position that closes the shift lock release hole 500 will be referred to as the closed position, and the position that opens the shift lock release hole 500 will be referred to as the open position.)

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the lower part of the release hole cover 600 has a slide guide 610 to enable sliding. This slide guide 610 has a gentle upward slope towards the left, towards the shift lever 200 side.

A lid 700, which is slidable in the front-rear direction in Figure 1, is provided above the aforementioned opening 400 and release hole cover 600. Furthermore, when this lid 700 is moved to its furthest forward position, it covers the entire opening 400, including the release hole cover 600. Moving it to the other forward/rear position allows the opening 400 to be opened.

The mechanism for sliding the lid 700 uses a heart-shaped cam mechanism 800, as shown in Figure 4. The heart-shaped cam mechanism 800 forms a guide rail 810 consisting of a roughly heart-shaped groove. It slopes upward from the bottom 811 to the right top 812, downward from the right top 812 to the first central part 813, upward from the second central part 814 to the left top 815, and downward from the left top 815 to the bottom 811. The first central part 813 is positioned higher than the second central part 814, and the edge 813a of the first central part 813 is a downward step. Furthermore, in Figure 1, the heart-shaped cam mechanism 800 is installed in the space between the opening 400 and the shift lever 200, rotated 90° clockwise.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, a groove 710 is provided on the underside of the lid 700, facing the heart cam mechanism 800. Furthermore, a ball-shaped body 900, slightly smaller than the width of the guide rail 810 and groove 710, is provided between the guide rail 810 of the heart cam mechanism 800 and the groove 710 of the lid 700. When the lid 700 is slid in the front-to-back direction, this ball-shaped body 900 rolls along the guide rail 810 of the heart cam mechanism 800, enabling intermittent opening and closing of the lid 700.

Specifically, when the lid 700 is in the position where it completely closes the opening 400 (hereinafter referred to as the closed lid position), the ball body 900, located between the heart cam mechanism 800 and the lid 700, is positioned at the bottom 811 of the guide rail 810, as shown in Figure 5(a). When the user slides the lid 700 backward by hand, the ball body 900 rolls up the inclined slope from the bottom 811 to the right top 812 of the guide rail 810, as shown in Figure 5(b), and when it reaches the right top 812, the lid 700 is in the fully open position, i.e., the rearmost position (hereinafter referred to as the fully open position).

After the lid 700 is moved to the fully open position and the user releases their hand from the lid 700, the ball 900 rolls down the downward slope from the right top 812 of the guide rail 810 to the first central section 813 due to its own weight, and falls from the edge 813a of the first central section 813 to the second central section 814. The fallen ball 900 rolls to the lowest point of the slope of the second central section 814, i.e., the tip 814a of the second central section 814, and stops. With this configuration, the ball 900, stopped at the tip 814a of the second central section 814, maintains the lid 700 in a position where a portion of the opening 400 is open (hereinafter referred to as the open lid position), as shown in Figure 6(a).

To return the lid 700 to the closed position, the user should slide the lid 700 backward again until it is fully open, at which point they should release their hand. When moving from this open position to the fully open position, the ball body 900 will roll up the incline from the second central part 814 to the left top part 815.

When the lid is fully open, that is, when the ball body 900 is positioned at the left top 815 of the guide rail 810 (see Figure 6(b)), releasing the hand causes the ball body 900 to roll down the slope from the left top 815 to the bottom 811 by its own weight, moving the lid body 700 to the closed position.

The lid 700 is made slidable by the aforementioned heart-cam mechanism 800, allowing for intermittent switching between the closed and open positions.

Furthermore, the lid 700 may be equipped with a hydraulic damper to facilitate a smooth transition from the open to the closed position. The hydraulic damper slows the movement speed of the lid 700, creating a sense of luxury as a vehicle interior. It also reduces the force with which the ball body 900 contacts the bottom 811 of the heart cam mechanism 800 and the tip 814a of the first central part 813, thereby minimizing deterioration during use.

In this embodiment, a heart-shaped cam mechanism 800 is used as the mechanism for making the lid 700 slideable. However, the mechanism is not necessarily limited to the heart-shaped cam mechanism 800; other cam mechanisms may be used that allow the lid 700 to be intermittently switched between a closed position and an open position, and that can partially close the opening 400 when in the open position.

Next, we will explain the specific method of using the shift lock release hole opening structure M and the method of opening the shift lock release hole 500. First, we will explain from the point where the lid 700 is in the closed position. As described above, the opening 400 is provided in the console panel 100 and is described as having a USB port 410 inside.

When the lid 700 is in the closed position, as shown in Figures 7(a) and 8, it completely covers the opening 400 provided in the console panel 100. By closing the lid 700 when the USB port 410 provided in the opening 400 is not in use, dust entering the USB port 410 and water damage from spills can be prevented as much as possible.

When using the USB port 410 provided in the opening 400, the lid 700 is moved to the open position. That is, as described above, the user slides the lid 700 backward until it is fully open and then releases it. As a result, as shown in Figure 7(b), the heart cam mechanism 800 automatically closes the lid from the fully open position to the open position.

In this open position, as shown in Figures 7(b) and 9, only the portion of the USB port 410 being used is open, while the shift lock release hole 500 and the release hole cover 600, which are located near the USB port 410 and facing the opening 400, remain closed. In other words, when using the USB port 410 under normal circumstances, neither the shift lock release hole 500 nor the release hole cover 600 that covers the shift lock release hole 500 are visible.

After using the USB port 410, slide the lid 700 back to the fully open position and release it. This will cause the lid 700 to return to the closed position (see Figure 6) due to the action of the heart-shaped cam mechanism 800 described above.

To release the shift lock, as shown in Figure 7(c), first slide the cover 700 backward to the fully open position. In the fully open position, the release hole cover 600, which was previously covered by the cover 700, is exposed.

The user, with the lid 700 in the fully open position, slides the exposed release hole cover 600 to the left, as shown in Figure 7(d), to move the release hole cover 600 to the open position. As described above, a slide guide 610 is provided at the bottom of the release hole cover 600, which slopes upward to the left toward the shift lever 200 side, i.e., toward the lid 700 in the fully open position. Therefore, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, when the release hole cover 600 is moved to the open position, the edge of the cover 700 side comes into contact with the edge of the lid 700.

When the user releases their hand in this state, the lid 700 attempts to automatically move from the fully open position to the open position, but this movement is blocked by the release hole cover 600, thus maintaining the fully open position. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1, 10, and 11, the release hole cover 600 is pressed by the forward force (the force of the ball body 900 rolling forward due to its own weight) that attempts to move the lid 700 to the open position, preventing it from returning to the closed position and keeping it in the open position.

The shift lock release hole 500 is opened by holding the cover 700 in the fully open position and the release hole cover 600 in the open position. The user inserts a tool through the opened shift lock release hole 500. The inserted tool travels along the guide portion 510 to the shift lock release mechanism 300, and the shift lock can be released by further pressing.

As described above, in order to open the shift lock release hole 500 for releasing the shift lock, the user must intentionally move the cover 700 to the fully open position while simultaneously moving the release hole cover 600 to the open position, as shown in Figure 7. This configuration eliminates the need to use tools to open the shift lock release hole 500.

Furthermore, by using a cam mechanism, such as the heart cam mechanism 800, as a mechanism to allow the lid 700 to slide, a difference, or clearance, is created between the open position and the fully open position. By providing the release hole cover 600 and the shift lock release hole 500 in this clearance space, the release hole cover 600 and the shift lock release hole 500 can be concealed even when using equipment typically provided in the opening 400, such as a USB port 410, power outlet, or storage compartment. In other words, a security advantage is created.

Furthermore, the release hole cover 600 only needs to be slid to open the shift lock release hole 500, eliminating the risk of loss compared to conventional removable covers.

Furthermore, when the release hole cover 600 is in the open position, the lid 700 automatically moves to the closed position, preventing it from closing and holding it in the fully open position. This maintains the shift lock release hole 500 in an open state, making it easier to release the shift lock. Additionally, the guide portion 510 provided at the bottom of the shift lock release hole 500 reliably guides the tool to the shift lock release mechanism 300, further facilitating the release process.

The above-described embodiment is merely one example of the present invention, and the shift lock release hole opening structure M according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Therefore, even in embodiments other than those described above, various modifications are possible depending on the design, etc., as long as they do not depart from the technical spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the various effects described above are merely a list of preferred effects arising from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in this embodiment.

M Shift lock release hole opening structure 100 Console panel 200 Shift lever 300 Shift lock release mechanism 400 Opening 410 USB port 500 Shift lock release hole 510 Guide part 600 Release hole cover 610 Slide guide 700 Cover 710 Groove part 800 Heart cam mechanism 810 Guide rail 811 Bottom part 812 Right top part 813 First center part 813a Edge part 814 Second center part 814a Tip part 815 Left top part 900 Ball part

Claims (4)

A shift lock release hole opening structure for opening a shift lock release hole for releasing the shift lock,
Console panel and,
An opening provided in the console panel,
A shift lock release hole opening facing the aforementioned opening,
A release hole cover that covers the aforementioned shift lock release hole,
The system comprises a cover that covers the opening and the release hole cover,
The aforementioned release hole cover slides,
The closed position that blocks the shift lock release hole,
It is provided to be switchable between an open position that opens the shift lock release hole and a position that opens the shift lock release hole.
The aforementioned lid slides,
A closed lid position that covers the entire opening,
The opening is partially opened, and the lid is switched to an open position that closes the shift lock release hole.
The shift lock release hole opening structure is characterized in that the release hole cover, when in the open state, holds the lid in a position that opens the shift lock release hole. The aforementioned release hole cover is
By tilting the entire structure when it is in the aforementioned open position,
The shift lock release hole opening structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the cover is held in a position that opens the shift lock release hole by contacting the cover in a fully open position that is even more open than the open cover position. Below the aforementioned shift lock release hole,
A shift lock release mechanism is provided, which releases the shift lock when pressed.
At the lower part of the shift lock release hole,
A shift lock release hole opening structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising a guide portion for guiding a tool used when pressing the shift lock release mechanism. A vehicle equipped with the shift lock release hole opening structure described in claim 1.