JPH0213802Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] A. Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a foldable shift lever device for an automobile.

B. Conventional technology Conventionally, vehicle engine transmission
The control lever (hereinafter referred to as the shift lever) is located in the space between the driver's seat and the passenger seat, and is designed so that it can be moved smoothly from the driver's seat to the passenger seat or vice versa. 2. Description of the Related Art A foldable shift lever device is known in which the upper half of the shift lever is tilted and latched.

This type of foldable shift lever device is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 58-97623, in which the lever body is divided into two parts, a lower lever and an upper lever.
The upper lever is tiltably connected to the lower lever by a pin, and a metal holding cylinder is fitted into the tapered connecting part.
The lower lever and the upper lever are configured to be integrated and maintained in the operating state. However,
When the lever is tilted, the holding cylinder biased downward by the spring is lifted upward against the spring force, the connecting portion is released from the restraint of the holding cylinder, and the upper lever can be tilted. To return it to its original position, when the upper lever is pulled up, the retaining tube returns to its original position by the force of the spring, thereby allowing the lower lever and the upper lever to be operated together.

C. Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in such a conventional folding shift lever device, when the upper lever is tilted, the lower end of the holding cylinder and the upper lever are moved by the biasing force of the spring. Not only is there a risk of getting your hands and fingers caught during operation, but since the connecting portion is exposed when it is tilted, the grease applied to the connecting portion is likely to adhere to clothing, etc. It is also dangerous due to the protruding end of the lever. Furthermore, when the upper lever is pulled back to its original state, the holding cylinder is pulled back downward by the spring force, and since the holding cylinder is made of metal, this produces an undesirable tapping sound.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a safe collapsible shift lever device that has a simple structure, has good operability, and prevents the occurrence of hitting sounds.

D. Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the lever main body of the present invention is composed of a lower lever and an upper lever, the upper lever is connected to the lower lever so that it can be tilted, and the connecting part is connected to the lower lever. A holding tube that can be surrounded is fitted onto one of the levers, and a spring is provided between the holding tube and either lever to bias the holding tube toward the connecting portion, and covers the connecting portion when the upper lever is tilted. A cover is provided on one of the levers, and a banging prevention member made of an elastic material is provided on the part that receives the biasing force of the holding cylinder when the upper lever is raised, and a knocking sound prevention member made of an elastic material is provided on the part where the upper lever and the lower lever come into contact when the upper lever is tilted. A flexible elastic member is provided.

E Effect In the foldable shift lever device configured as described above, the connecting portion is released from the restraint of the holding cylinder by pushing down the holding cylinder against the spring force.
When the upper lever is tilted, the connecting portion is covered by the cover. Moreover, a flexible elastic member is interposed at the portion where the lower lever and the upper lever come into contact when the upper lever is tilted. Then, in order to return the lever main body to the operating state, the upper lever is pulled up and the holding tube is biased by the spring force, so that the connecting portion is surrounded by the holding tube. At this time, the biasing force of the holding cylinder due to the spring force is suppressed by coming into contact with the knocking sound prevention member made of an elastic body.

F. Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail and specifically based on the drawings.

FIGS. 1a, b to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1a, 1 is a lower lever, 2 is an upper lever rotatably connected to the lower lever 1 via a pin 3, and the lower lever 1 and the upper lever 2 constitute a lever main body 100. . The lower end of the lower lever 1 is connected to the mounting portion 41 of the shaft 4, as shown in FIG. , the lower lever 1 and the upper lever 2 are operated in unison, thereby allowing the transmission drive lever 42 to be operated via the shaft 4.

Furthermore, in FIG. 1, reference numeral 5 denotes an elastic cover fitted to the cover attachment part 21 of the upper lever 2. The elastic cover 5 is made of an elastic material such as polyurethane, and is attached to one side of the socket-shaped base 51. A skirt portion 52 as shown in FIG. 3 is provided over half the circumference or more. Here, the base portion 51 constitutes a hitting sound prevention member and an elastic member interposed between the tilted upper lever 2 and lower lever 1.

In addition, 6 is a holding tube (hereinafter referred to as a release collar) that is slidably fitted to the lower lever 1, and 7 is a spring receiving part 1 of the release collar 6 and the lower lever 1.
1, and is a spring interposed between the upper lever 2 and the upper lever 2.
When used in an upright position as shown,
The release collar 6 is biased upward by the spring force of the spring 7 and kept in contact with the base 51 of the elastic cover 5, thereby restricting the rotational movement of the upper lever 2. . That is, Fig. 1b
As shown in , the fork part 12 of the lower lever 1 and the leg part 22 of the upper lever 2 are connected by a press-fitted pin 3,
00 is surrounded by the fitting of the release collar 6, so that the upper lever 2 and the lower lever 1 can be maintained in an upright state.

Next, the tilting operation of the upper lever 2 and the return operation to the operating state in the foldable shift lever device configured as described above will be explained.

First, when tilting, release collar 6 is pressed against spring 7.
When the connecting portion 200 is released from the release collar 6 by pressing down against the spring force, the upper lever 2 becomes rotatable. Then, grasp the knob 23 screwed onto the upper lever 2, rotate the upper lever 2 to the tilted state shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, and move the narrow diameter part 24 of the upper lever 2 into the As shown in the figure,
A latch member 9 attached near the seat 8 is engaged. When the shift lever is in the "low" position, the upper lever narrow diameter portion 24 is latched to the latch member 9, but the stepped portion 25 of the upper lever 2 is restrained by the stopper surface 91 of the latch member 9, so that the shift lever is not moved. A return to "neutral" is now inhibited. Also, when the shift lever is in "neutral", upper lever 2
The constriction 26 is latched to the latch member 9.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, when the lever is tilted, the release collar 6 fitted onto the upper lever 2 and the lower lever 1 come into contact with each other via the elastic cover 5.
It is not dangerous even if your finger gets caught between the levers. Further, the connecting portion 200 is connected to the skirt portion 5 of the elastic cover 5.
2, which prevents grease from staining clothes.

Next, when the upper lever 2 is to be returned to the operating state, when the upper lever 2 is pulled away from the latch member 9 and pulled up, the release collar 6 comes into contact with the elastic cover base 51 due to the spring 7, and thereby the connecting portion 20
0 is surrounded and the shift lever can be used.

When the shift lever is put into use, the release collar 6 comes into contact with the elastic cover base 51 due to the spring force as described above, but no hitting sound is generated as in the conventional case.

Note that the release collar 6 may be provided on the upper lever 2 side, and the elastic cover 5 may be provided on the lower lever 1 side. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the entire elastic cover 5 is formed of an elastic body of polyurethane, and this cover 5 constitutes a knocking sound prevention member and a flexible elastic member interposed between the tilting upper lever and the lower lever. However, the entire body does not necessarily need to be made of an elastic body, and may be constructed by appropriately adhering or coating rubber or the like to appropriate places on the main body made of metal or synthetic resin.

G. Effect of the invention As explained above, according to the invention, when the upper lever is tilted, the joint between the upper lever and the lower lever is covered by the cover, which prevents grease from attaching due to exposure of the joint. With,
Safety is also improved. In addition, since a flexible elastic member is interposed between the upper lever and the lower lever when the upper lever is tilted, there is no risk of getting your hands or fingers caught and injured. In this case, the holding cylinder biased by the spring comes into contact with the banging sound prevention member made of an elastic body, so that unpleasant impact noise can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1a is a partial cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the foldable shift lever device of the present invention, FIG. 1b is a diagram showing the connection part thereof, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the elastic cover of the foldable shift lever device, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the upper lever in a tilted state. 1: Lower lever, 2: Upper lever, 3: Pin,
5: Elastic cover, 6: Release collar, 7: Spring, 9: Latch member, 11: Spring receiver, 12:
Fork part, 21: Cover attachment part, 22: Leg part, 23: Knob, 24: Thin diameter part, 51: Base, 5
2: Skirt part, 100: Shift lever body, 2
00: Connection part.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) The lever body consists of a lower lever and an upper lever, the upper lever is connected to the lower lever so that it can be tilted, and a holding cylinder that can surround the connected part is attached to either of the levers. A spring is fitted over the lever and biases the holding tube toward the connecting portion, and a spring is provided between the holding tube and one of the levers, and a cover is provided on either lever to cover the connecting portion when the upper lever is tilted. A banging prevention member made of an elastic body is provided at a portion that receives the biasing force of the holding cylinder when the upper lever is raised, and a flexible elastic member is provided at a portion where the upper lever and the lower lever come into contact when the upper lever is tilted. A foldable shift lever device characterized by: (2) Utility Model Registration The lever device according to claim 1 is characterized in that the cover is made of a flexible elastic material, and the banging sound prevention member and the elastic member are integrally formed with the cover. Foldable shift lever device.