Vehicle shift knob

Abstract

To provide a shift knob where a rotary type operation arm is composed of an arm body and a finger rest cover, which prevents the finger rest cover from being removed from the arm body.SOLUTION: A shift knob 1 has an outer cover 4 having an opening 3, and an operation arm 5 rotatably arranged inside the outer cover 4. The operation arm 5 is composed of an arm body 8 to which a support shaft 12 is inserted, and a finger rest cover 9 mounted on its front end. The finger rest cover 9 is mounted on the arm body 8 by engagement of an engagement claw 19 with an engagement hole 21. The finger rest cover 9 has a finger hook surface 9b, and has a finger hook auxiliary part 24 in a state of being continuous to the finger hook surface 9b provided on the arm body 8. A finger tip F of a person does not touch a rear end face 9d of the finger hook surface 9b, which can prevent the finger rest cover 9 from being peeled from the arm body 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shift knob having a rotating operating arm. [Background technology]

[0002] A shift knob for a vehicle has an outer cover that can be picked up (or grasped) by a person and has an exposed operation button, which pushes a compression rod. Operation buttons are of push type and rotary type, and an example of the rotary type is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, the button has a single structure, with a bearing part integrally provided on the button and connected to a support shaft, but this structure has significant dimensional restrictions, which can make it difficult to press the button hard and difficult to enjoy the pressing action that utilizes leverage.In addition, with a single structure, there is also concern that it will be difficult to ensure sufficient strength for the bearing part, etc.

[0004] In this regard, the button is composed of the arm body, which acts as a strength member, and a finger rest cover, which ensures softness when touching the fingertips, so there are no dimensional constraints or strength issues, and the button can be pressed in firmly. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-39840 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Now, when the knob button is constructed as two parts consisting of an arm body and a finger cover, the finger cover is fitted onto one end of the arm body from the outside. However, if a push-in attachment method utilizing elastic deformation of an engagement portion provided on either or both of the finger cover and the arm body is used as the attachment means for the finger cover, it is preferable that the finger cover can be attached with a single touch.

[0007] In this case, the finger cover is made of synthetic resin and is injection molded, but the finger cover can only be molded in a half-split shape that covers one end of the arm body from the outside with the injection molding method, and this results in a step between the end of the finger hook surface of the finger cover where the fingertips of the person touch and the operating arm body. In other words, one end surface of the finger cover that is continuous with the end of the finger hook surface is exposed toward the inside of the outer cover.

[0008] When a person places their finger on the finger hook surface of the finger cover and rotates the operating arm, their finger may get caught on one end surface of the finger cover, causing an external force to act on the finger cover trying to peel it off from the arm body, causing the engagement portion to elastically deform and causing the finger cover to come off from the arm body. If the finger cover comes off from the arm body, the compression rod may continue to be held in the pressed state even if the person removes their finger from the finger cover, which is an inconvenience.

[0009] The present invention was made against this background, and discloses a technology that makes it possible to form a knob button into an operating arm consisting of an arm body and a finger rest cover, while preventing the finger rest cover from coming off with a simple structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The shift knob of the present invention is "The shift lever has an outer cover that is provided at the tip of the shift lever and has an opening for operation in a part thereof so that the shift lever can be grasped by a person's fingers, and an operation arm that is rotatably arranged via a support shaft inside the outer cover. The operating arm has an arm body with one end thereof sandwiching the support shaft facing the operating opening of the outer cover, and a finger rest cover which is fitted and attached to one end of the arm body and which is rotated by a user by placing the fingertip on it, and the compression rod is pushed by the part of the arm body which is sandwiched between the support shaft and enters the inside of the outer cover. In this basic configuration, "The arm body is provided with a finger hook auxiliary portion extending in the outer circumferential direction so as to be continuous with the finger hook surface of the finger rest cover." It has the following characteristics:

[0011] The finger hook surface of the finger rest cover and the finger hook auxiliary part of the arm body may be continuous with no gap, or there may be a small gap between them. In other words, in the present invention, even if there is a gap between the finger hook surface of the finger rest cover and the finger hook auxiliary part of the arm body, it is sufficient that the gap is large enough that a person's fingertip does not get caught on one end surface of the finger rest cover. Effect of the Invention

[0012] In the present invention, if a person rotates the operating arm and the fingertip comes off the finger hook surface, the part that comes off hits the finger hook auxiliary part of the arm body, so the fingertip does not get caught on one end surface of the finger rest cover. Therefore, no external force acts on the finger rest cover that would pull it off the arm body, and the finger rest cover can be prevented from coming off. In addition, because the finger hook auxiliary part of the arm body is hidden behind the finger rest cover, it is not visible to the public under normal conditions, and the aesthetic appearance is not impaired.

[0013] And since it is a simple measure of providing a finger hook auxiliary part on the arm body and no new parts are added, there is no increase in cost. Therefore, in the present invention, for a shift knob in which the button is configured on a two-part operating arm, it is possible to prevent the finger cover from coming off without causing a deterioration in cost or aesthetics. It is also possible to prevent the flesh of the fingertip from being pinched between the finger cover and the arm body when the finger cover returns and rotates. Therefore, safety is improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1A is a perspective view of the entire embodiment, FIG. 1B is a perspective view of an operating arm, FIG. 1C is a perspective view of an arm body, and FIG. 1D is a perspective view of a finger rest cover. [Diagram 2] 13A and 13B are front views of the non-operating state, in which (A) is a front view with the finger rest cover attached, and (B) is a front view of (A) without the finger rest cover. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side view showing the external appearance of an operating arm, where (A) is a view showing a non-operating state, and (B) is a view showing an operating state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] (1) Structure of the embodiment Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1(A), a shift knob 1 is attached to the tip of a shift lever 2. The shift knob 1 has an outer cover 4 having an opening 3, and an operating arm 5 arranged inside the outer cover 4.

[0016] In the following, for convenience, the terms front-back and left-right are used to specify directions, with front being the direction in which the opening 3 is provided and rear being the opposite direction. The left-right direction is the horizontal direction perpendicular to the front-back direction. The position of the operating arm 5 changes, but the non-operating state shown in Figure 3(A) is set as the reference position, and the direction is specified based on this position.

[0017] The outer cover 4 is composed of a front outer cover 6 that is U-shaped in plan view and opens backward in plan view, and a rear outer cover 7 that covers the front outer cover 6 from the rear and above, and both are joined together by means such as the engagement of an engagement claw and an engagement hole to form a hollow structure. For example, as shown in Figure 1(A), the lower edge of the opening 3 in the front outer cover 6 forms an inclined surface 3a that slopes backward.

[0018] The operating arm 5 is composed of an arm body 8 shown in Fig. 1(C) and a finger rest cover 9 shown in Fig. 1(D), and the assembled state is shown in Fig. 1(B). The arm body 8 is composed of a head portion 10 located on the side (one end) of the opening of the outer cover 4, and a foot portion 11 extending from the head portion 10 to the back of the outer cover 4, and the head portion 10 is formed with a bearing hole 13 through which a left and right long support shaft 12 held by the front outer cover 6 passes.

[0019] The arm body 8 is made of synthetic resin, and the head portion 10 is made by insert molding a soft synthetic resin into the foot portion 11.

[0020] Finger rest cover 9 has an arc-shaped portion 9a extending around the axis of support shaft 12, a finger rest surface 9b on which a person's fingertips rest, and left and right side plates 9c connecting the two. It is roughly L-shaped when viewed from the side. Finger rest cover 9 is a molded product made of resin such as ABS, and is manufactured by injection molding using a mold device based on a mold that moves relatively in the front-to-rear direction.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1(C), a center protrusion 15 protrudes forward from head portion 10 of arm body 8, while as shown in FIG. 1(D), a pair of center clamping pieces 16 protrude backward from the inner front surface of finger rest cover 9, sandwiching center protrusion 15 from above and below, and finger rest cover 9 is positioned in the vertical direction by the fit of the two.

[0022] A stopper portion 17 is formed on the head portion 10 of the arm body 8, with which the wide surface of the lower center clamping piece 16 of the finger rest cover 9 overlaps. Left and right engagement claws 19 are formed on the upper part of the head portion 10 toward the rear, while a frame portion 20 is formed inside the finger rest cover 9, surrounding the upper part of the head portion 10 from the front, and engagement holes 21 that engage with the engagement claws 19 are formed in the left and right side plates 20a of the frame portion 20.

[0023] The engagement claw 19 is configured by forming a hook portion at the tip of a claw piece that rises forward from the base of the head part 10, but it may also be in a form in which the claws protrude outward to the left and right from the block part. As shown in Fig. 3, the part of the frame part 20 of the finger rest cover 9 where the engagement hole 21 is formed is exposed on the rear side. Therefore, when molding, the engagement hole 21 can be formed using a slide mold.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1(D), left and right regulating pieces 22 located in front of the frame portion 20 are provided on the inner surface of the left and right side plates 9c of the finger rest cover 9. These left and right regulating pieces 22 clamp the block portion 23 of the head portion 10 from the left and right, thereby regulating the left and right movement of the finger rest cover 9.

[0025] 1(B), 3, etc., a finger hook auxiliary part 24 having an outer peripheral surface that is continuous with the finger hook surface 9b of the finger rest cover 9 is formed on the lower part of the head part 10 of the arm main body 8. The finger hook auxiliary part 24 is formed by adding thickness to the lower part of the head part 10, and the outer peripheral surface is formed as an arc surface that extends around the rotation axis of the operation arm 5 (around the axis of the support shaft 12) in a state that is continuous with the finger hook surface 9b. In addition, a thickness-reduced recess 24a that is arc-shaped in a side view is formed on the side surface of the finger hook auxiliary part 24.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1(C), a circular recess 25 that communicates with the bearing hole 13 is formed on one side (the right side) of the head portion 10, and a first spring bearing ridge 26 that protrudes outward to the left and right beyond the finger hook auxiliary portion 24 is formed at the rear of the area surrounding the recess 25, and further, a second spring bearing ridge 27 that protrudes outward from the first spring bearing ridge 26 is formed at approximately the upper part of the area surrounding the recess 25.

[0027] 1(C), a torsion spring 28 having a clockwise coil portion is fitted from the outside onto the support shaft 12, with one end 28a abutting the underside of the second protrusion 27 and the other end 28b abutting the opening edge of the front outer cover 6. Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 3, the operating arm 5 is biased by the torsion spring 28 to rotate counterclockwise, and when a finger is hooked on the finger hook surface 9b and pulled backward, the operating arm 5 rotates clockwise against the torsion spring 28, and a compression rod 29 provided on the shift lever 2 is pushed down by the foot 11.

[0028] 3, an upper stopper 30 that abuts against the foot 11 of the operating arm 5 from above to hold the operating arm 5 in the reference position and a lower stopper 31 that determines the rotation limit of the operating arm 5 are provided at the rear of the front outer cover 6. The upper and lower stoppers 30, 31 can also be provided on the rear outer cover 7.

[0029] (2) Summary The finger cover 9 is fitted onto the arm body 8 from the front, but is prevented from coming off by the meshing of the engagement claws 19 with the engagement holes 21. Therefore, if a rearward external force of a certain magnitude is applied to the finger cover 9, the engagement claws 19 or the frame portion 20 may deform, causing the engagement between the engagement claws 19 and the engagement holes 21 to come out of engagement.

[0030] In this regard, as shown in FIG. 3(A), the rear end of the finger hook surface 9b of the finger rest cover 9 fits inside the arm main body 8. Therefore, generally, a person's fingertip will not get caught on the rear end surface 9d of the finger hook portion having the finger hook surface 9b, and no external force will act on the finger rest cover 9 to peel it off from the arm main body 8.

[0031] However, when a person places his / her fingertip on the finger rest cover 9 and rotates the operation arm 5, he / she may push his / her fingertip toward the inside of the outer cover 4 and place his / her fingertip too deeply on the finger rest cover 9, or may rotate the operation arm 5 slightly and then slide his / her fingertip backward, or may slightly stretch his / her finger and place its middle part against the front end of the finger hook surface 9b, raise the operation arm 5 slightly, and then bend his / her fingertip over the finger hook surface 9b, which may cause the fingertip to extend behind the finger hook surface 9b and get caught on the rear end surface 9d of the finger hook. Then, a backward external force acts on the finger rest cover 9 trying to peel it off from the arm body 8, and if the external force becomes large enough, the engagement claws 19 and the frame 20 may be twisted and deformed, causing the finger rest cover 9 to come off the arm body 8.

[0032] If the finger rest cover 9 comes off from the arm body 8, the finger rest cover 9 will fall off, exposing the arm body 8, or the finger rest cover 9 will become caught between the arm body 8 and the outer cover 4, preventing the operating arm 5 from returning and rotating, resulting in a malfunction.

[0033] In contrast, in this embodiment, even if a person places their fingertips too deeply on the finger rest cover 9 and their fingertips go beyond the finger rest surface 9b of the finger rest cover 9, the fingertips will hit the finger rest auxiliary portion 24 of the arm body 8 and will not get caught on the rear end surface 9d of the finger rest cover 9. Therefore, even if a person places their fingertips too deeply on the finger rest cover 9, the finger rest cover 9 will not be torn off from the arm body 8 and the function of the shift knob 1 will not be impaired.

[0034] Now, since the finger hook surface 9b of the finger cover 9 is located below the support shaft 12, it is reasonable to arrange the engagement claws 19 and the engagement holes 21 above the support shaft 12. When the finger hits the rear end surface 9d of the finger hook surface 9b and the finger cover 9 is pulled toward the user, the finger cover 9 tends to rotate with the engagement claws 19 and the engagement holes 21 as fulcrums, and the engagement claws 19 and the frame portion 20 may be deformed even with a small force. In other words, the external force acting on the finger cover 9 is concentrated on the engagement portion between the engagement claws 19 and the engagement holes 21, so the engagement claws 19 and the frame portion 20 are easily deformed.

[0035] However, as in this embodiment, when a finger hook auxiliary portion 24 that is continuous with the finger hook surface 9b is provided on the arm body 8, the fingertips do not come into contact with the rear end surface 9d of the finger hook surface 9b, so that no external force acts on the finger rest cover 9, and the finger rest cover 9 is merely pressed against the arm body 8. Therefore, a rational design is adopted that allows the finger rest cover 9 to be easily attached to the arm body 8, while reliably preventing the finger rest cover 9 from coming off.

[0036] In addition, even if the finger is placed deep on the finger cover 9, the finger hook auxiliary portion 24 prevents the flesh of the finger from penetrating into the opening 3, so there is no risk of the flesh of the finger being pinched between the finger cover 9 and the front outer cover 6 when the finger cover 9 returns and rotates due to the spring 28. Therefore, safety is improved.

[0037] The present invention can be embodied in various ways other than those described above. For example, the shape of each member can be changed as necessary. The finger cover can be attached by providing an engagement claw on the finger cover and providing an engagement hole on the arm body. An attachment structure that utilizes elastic deformation of a member can also employ meshing of engagement claws. The finger hook assisting portion does not necessarily have to be in an arc shape.

[0038] In addition, the shift lever to which the shift knob is attached is not limited to the floor type. It can also be applied to column shift types and instrument panel shift types. The finger rest cover can also be U-shaped when viewed from the side. [Industrial Applicability]

[0039] The present invention can be embodied in a shift knob for a vehicle, and therefore has industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Shift knob 2 Shift lever 3 Opening of outer cover 4 Outer cover 5 Operation Arm 6 Front outer cover 7 Rear outer cover 8 Arm body 9 Finger Cover 9b Finger rest surface 9d Rear end of finger hook 10 Head section 11 Foot 12 Spindle 13 Bearing hole 15 Center protrusion 16 Lower center clamp piece 17 Stopper part 19 Engagement claw 20 Frame 21 Engagement hole 24 Finger grip auxiliary part 28 Spring (torsion spring) 29 Compression rod

Claims

[Claim 1] The shift lever has an outer cover provided at the tip thereof and having an opening for operation in a part thereof so that the shift lever can be grasped by a user's fingers, and an operation arm disposed inside the outer cover so as to be rotatable via a support shaft. The operating arm has an arm body, one end of which sandwiches the spindle and faces the operation opening of the outer cover, and a finger rest cover which is fitted and attached to one end of the arm body and which is turned by a user by placing a fingertip thereon, and a compression rod is pressed by a portion of the arm body which is inserted inside the outer cover and sandwiches the spindle, The arm body is provided with a finger hook auxiliary portion extending in an outer circumferential direction so as to be continuous with the finger hook surface of the finger rest cover. Vehicle shift knob.

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