Machine element or mechanism – Control lever and linkage systems – Elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-28
2001-10-16
Green, Mary Ann (Department: 3682)
Machine element or mechanism
Control lever and linkage systems
Elements
C074S527000, C074S473300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06301994
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shift lever apparatus for changing a shift range on a vehicle transmission.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a shift lever apparatus for changing a shift range on an automatic transmission for a vehicle is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (JP-U) No. 60-126815. In a shift lever of the shift lever apparatus in this disclosure, each of the components is integrally molded using a material in which a thermoplastic synthetic resin is impregnated with glass fibers so as to form the shift lever. Accordingly, this shift lever, being different from a conventional shift lever which has been formed by welding a plurality of metal components or by fastening the components with bolts, is made more compact and lightened. In addition, although this shift lever is molded from a synthetic resin, as it contains glass fibers, it has a high degree of strength.
An ordinary shift lever apparatus comprises a restricting means for restricting an unexpected shift operation from a predetermined shift position (e.g., a shift position corresponding to a reverse range for driving the vehicle driving wheel in reverse) to another shift position (e.g., a shift position corresponding to a parking range for locking the vehicle driving wheel).
This type of restricting means has a detent rod which is accommodated inside the shift lever, which is urged toward a tip end of the shift lever by an urging means such as a compression coil spring, and which can move therein along an urging direction of the urging means and along a direction opposite to the urging direction. Detent pins are formed at an outer peripheral portion of this detent rod so as to protrude therefrom, then penetrate through slit holes or the like which are formed at an outer peripheral portion of the shift lever, and protrude therefrom. On the other hand, side walls, that stand upright from a base member which supports the shift lever, are disposed at the sides of the shift lever. A tip end portion of each of the aforementioned detent pins enters into a detent hole which is formed in the side walls.
As described above, as the detent rod is urged by the urging means, the detent pin normally abuts an inner peripheral portion of the detent hole in a direction in which the urging force of the urging means acts. A wall portion is formed at a portion of the inner peripheral portion of the detent hole in a direction opposite to the direction in which the urging force of the urging means acts. Namely, when the shift lever is located at the aforementioned predetermined position, the detent pins and the wall portion face each other along a rotating direction of the shift lever, and the wall portion restricts the rotational operation of the shift lever to another shift position through the detent pins and the detent rod. When the detent rod is moved so as to oppose the urging force of the urging means by pressing a button provided at a knob or the like, the detent pins are caused to disengage from the wall portion, and a rotational operation of the shift lever to another shift position can be performed.
The strength of the detent pin on its own and the strength obtained through the connection of the detent pin and the detent rod must ensure a strength which is greater than or equal to a level of strength which is able to resist an impact load of the detent pin on abutting against the wall portion of the detent hole during the rotational operation of the shift lever, and for this reason, generally, the detent pin and the detent rod have been formed by welding metal components.
The shift lever of the shift lever apparatus in the Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (JP-U) No. 60-126815 has also been formed in the same manner as this. Namely, since the shift lever has been formed by connecting a metal detent pin to a metal detent rod by welding, from a viewpoint of making the shift lever more compact, there has been room for improvement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforementioned facts, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shift lever apparatus having a shift lever capable of ensuring the necessary strength, being manufactured in a simple manner, and being made compact as a whole.
The first aspect of the present invention is a shift lever apparatus which selects an arbitrary shift range from a plurality of shift ranges set on a vehicle transmission and changes into the selected shift range due to a rotational operation of a shift lever connected to the vehicle transmission, comprising: a detent rod which is displaced in the rotating direction of the shift lever in accordance with the rotational operation of the shift lever, is disposed inside the shift lever so as to be able to carry out a reciprocating motion to the shift lever, and is urged in one direction of the reciprocating motion; a detent portion which is molded so as to be integrated with the detent rod, is extended from an outer peripheral portion of the detent rod so as to protrude outwardly from the shift lever, and in which the cross section of a portion of the detent portion connected to the detent rod in a direction substantially intersecting an extending direction of the detent portion is greater than the cross section in the direction substantially intersecting the extending direction of the detent portion, of a side end portion of the detent portion in the extending direction; and a detent means which is formed so as to face the detent portion in a direction in which the detent portion moves in accordance with the rotational operation of the shift lever, which restricts the rotational operation of the shift lever indirectly by engaging with the detent portion when the rotational operation of the shift lever from a predetermined shift position is performed, and which is able to release the state in which the rotational operation of the shift lever has been restricted by a movement of the detent rod in opposition to the urging force thereof.
According to the shift lever apparatus having the above-described structure, when the rotational operation of the shift lever is performed, the shift range set in the vehicle transmission is changed into the shift range corresponding to the rotated position of the shift lever.
When the operation to rotate the shift lever to the rotated position corresponding to a specific shift range is performed, the detent portion which is extended from the detent rod engages with the detent means along the rotating direction of the shift lever, and the rotational operation of the shift lever is restricted indirectly by the detent means. At this time, when the detent rod inside the shift lever is caused to move so as to oppose the urging force, the detent portion which is integrated with the detent rod moves in accordance with the aforementioned movement, the state in which the detent means and the inner peripheral portion of the detent hole have been facing each other is released so that the restriction on the movement of the detent portion can be released.
In the shift lever apparatus of the present invention, since the detent rod and the detent portion are previously molded so as to be integrated with each other, through molding such as injection molding, cast molding, or the like, the number of components used for the shift lever apparatus as a whole is reduced, and a process for assembling the detent rod and the detent portion together becomes unnecessary so that the number of manufacturing processes is reduced. Further, the apparatus can be made compact. Moreover, the cross section of a portion of the detent portion connected to the detent rod is greater than the end portion of the detent portion in the extending direction thereof. As a result, the detent portion can ensure a strength level which is able to resist the impact when abutting the inner peripheral portion of the detent hole.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5582073 (1996-12-01), Takeuchi et al.
patent: 5596909 (1997-01-01), Cox et al.
patent: 6038939 (2
Cole Thomas W.
Green Mary Ann
Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
Nixon & Peabody LLP
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